Reverse of Arcadia
by MysticTyler
Summary: When the only way out was to run away, Tyler Nochi did just that. And for a few years, living in the Satellite as he made some new friends, Tyler thought that he would finally be able to forget. As it turned out, he would end up forgetting more than he ever wanted to. Though he did learn one thing: It's impossible to run away from your destiny.
1. Awakening – Arcadia Movement

Sunlight broke in from the sky and through the trees. I could hear the howls of the wind and the birds chirping. By the looks of things, I was in the middle of a forest, but I had no idea how I even ended up in the forest.

I attempted to focus my eyes on something, anything that would give me some hint as to where I was, but I wasn't able to. Hazily, I brought my hand up to look at it and in an instant, I could no longer feel anything. My sense of touch and my general awareness had almost vanished completely.

"Somebody..." a voice called out. The voice was distinctly female, perhaps belonging to a young child. I looked around, and at the edge of the clearing, I could see the silhouette of a young girl. "Somebody... please help me...!" she pleaded, the tone of her voice revealing to me a truly frightened little girl.

It was strange: In spite of me never having met this girl before, there was this feeling, this notion in the back of my head that I was the only one who could save her. That I was this 'somebody'. I tried to run over to the child, but I just found myself getting further and further away from her. Once I realized the futility in running, I then attempted to call out to her, but no sound came out of my mouth. I felt my eyelids droop as I fell backwards onto the ground, the sounds of the forest and cries of the young girl slowly fading away.

I could no longer sense that the forest was around me. Instead, the incessant beeping of electrical equipment filled my ears, letting me know that I was in a much different place.

"Sayer! A change has been detected in the test subject's body!" a woman called out. This person's voice sounded older than the one I had just heard. I once again tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn't even open this time.

"What is it?!" a man asked, practically shouting over the top of the noise that apparent electrical equipment seemed to be making.

"Look at this..." the woman began. "See the irregularity in the nerve impulses? It's not like anything we've seen before. It's highly likely that the subject's communicating with the Spirit World."

I didn't know who else was in the room with me at the time. If I was just alone with these two or there were many others. Who was this 'test subject'? What is the 'Spirit World'? I had so many questions.

"Hmm... Then it seems that all of our research up to this point hasn't been in vain..." the man murmured.

"Yes, sir..." the woman confirmed.

"Perhaps then, it's time that we put this one to work for us..." the man added. Did these two even know I was here listening to them? "Even if this subject does not possess psychic powers, I'm sure that at the very least, we'll have a decent Duelist on our hands."

I felt my entire body loosen up, as if a weight had been lifted off of my arms and legs. In a daze, I opened my eyes and cocked my head to the side, looking around the room. I seemed to be in some sort of blanket-less bed, which was semi-protected by a glass visor over my head.

My voice stirred and I brought my left hand up to my face, causing the woman to gasp. "Oh! Sayer! The subject's eyes have opened!" she sounded surprised.

"Well then," the man, who I assumed to be Sayer, began. "When our friend here is able to walk, see that you escort him to his room."

I looked up at the man. He had long auburn-colored hair, which seemed to obscure the side of his face. He wore a black suit with a white tie and a green vest over both along with formal corduroy pants that were the same color as his suit. I wasn't able to tell by the man's facial expression if he was well-meaning or not, but the woman seemed to trust him, so I guessed that, for the time-being at least, I would too.

Sayer began to walk out of the room, but stopped at the door. "One more thing. Make sure that no one realizes that this subject is not a psychic Duelist. If anyone else finds this out, our secret might be leaked to the outside world."

It clicked in my head that perhaps I was the 'test subject', but for what? I still wasn't sure. The fact that Sayer said that I wasn't a psychic must've meant something as well, but I was too focused on staying awake to let what he had said sink in.

"Yes, sir. Understood." the woman bowed as Sayer walked out the door and out of my view. The woman then walked over to me. "Are you alright?" the woman asked softly.

I didn't know how to answer her, so I just stayed quiet, inspecting the woman. She had shortish, golden brown hair and wore a white shirt underneath some sort of robe or gown. I could tell by the look in her golden-colored eyes that she meant me no harm, so I decided to answer her. "I..." I stammered, realizing I didn't really know what to say. I began breathing much more heavily, until the woman calmed me.

"Shhhhh... it's okay..." the woman cooed. "I didn't mean to rush you. Why don't you take a moment to gather your thoughts and then tell me, okay?"

I closed my eyes as I slowed my breathing right down, trying to think how I could best answer her question. Besides having a small headache, I felt fine in every sense, but I didn't know where I was or why I was even here. "I've got a headache..." I mumbled.

The woman nodded knowingly. "How you're feeling now is perfectly normal, so don't worry. My name is Seria, what's yours?" she asked.

I looked into Seria's eyes and gave her my answer. "Tyler... My name is Tyler Nochi..."

"Tyler..." Seria muttered. "That's a great name!" she smiled.

"Th-thank you..." I murmured. Seria pressed a button on the side of the bed that I had been lying in, and the glass visor retracted. She then extended her hand out to me, which I took, assuming that she wanted to help me up.

I assumed right, as Seria pulled me to my feet. However, I wasn't very steady and I stumbled forward. Thankfully, Seria caught me, holding onto my waist tightly as she served as my crutch. "Oh my! Are you okay?!"

"Y-yes... I'm sorry about that..." I apologized.

"You don't need to apologize." Seria assured me, gently turning me around and taking my hand in hers. "Let's take a walk around the room."

I nodded and shakily took a step forward, my entire body wobbling. If Seria hadn't have been there, I was sure that I would've fallen and never gotten up. Ever so slowly, I began to walk, Seria by my side, offering gentle encouragement every time I took an uneasy step.

After a couple of laps around the room, I was able to walk without Seria holding me. I couldn't understand as to how I wasn't able to walk before. It was as if my body somehow forgot. That didn't matter now though. "That's great, Tyler!" Seria smiled. "Here, I've got something for you." she said, turning away and picking up some weird contraption that was resting on one of the machines before giving it to me.

I recognized what it was right away, but I didn't know how. It was Duel Disk. I slotted the Duel Disk over my left arm and turned my arm to look at it. It was a perfect fit. "Thank you..." I muttered.

Seria smiled once more. "You're welcome." Seria glanced over at a monitor. "I'll help you get settled in. C'mon."

Taking my hand, Seria led me out of the room. I found myself taken aback by my new surroundings. The place that I was in seemed like a palace. Bronze and copper statues littered the halls and fine velvet seemed to serve as the carpet. Seria took me into an elevator and then led me to a locked room, taking a card out of her pocket and swiping it in a little scanner near the door. The door unlocked and Seria motioned for me to join her as she went inside.

I walked inside and was met by two other boys, both wearing the same clothing that Seria had on. One of the boys had dark brown hair, tan skin and aside from his clothing had a small pair of glasses over his eyes. The other had messy blond hair, light skin and freckles.

"This will be your room from today onwards. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to stop by the lab. I'll be happy to answer what I can." Seria explained, before twitching. "Oh! I almost forgot, here's a deck that you can use."

Seria reached into her pocket and handed me a deck of cards along with the key card which she used to open up the room. "Thank you..." I muttered, slotting the deck into my Duel Disk and shoving the key card in my pocket.

It was at that point I noticed that I also seemed to be wearing the same clothes as Seria and the two other boys. I also seemed to be fairly well-built, although my stark-black hair was a mess. "Now, that deck has already been created with your ability in mind, so be careful not to mix up or misplace any of the cards, okay?"

I nodded. Seria then turned to the other boys. "Sayer will be coming by soon to give you your first set of orders, so you two had better be ready for when he arrives."

"Yes, ma'am..." both boys said.

"Good." Seria smiled. "You should prepare as well, Tyler." Before I could ask what I had to even prepare for, Seria had already walked out of the room.

Sheepishly, I turned back around to the other boys. "It is a pleasure to meet you." the tan-skinned boy spoke up. "My name is Okita Konowara. I'm sure we'll get along smashingly."

I smiled at how jovial the young man was, before the blond stepped forward. "Some new blood, eh?" he muttered with a slight uneasiness in his voice. "I'm Liquid Hebi. What's your name?" he asked.

"Uh, Tyler... Tyler Nochi." I answered quickly.

"Tyler, eh?" Liquid seemed to ponder something. "Well, good to have you on board."

I still had plenty of questions that needed answering, but I couldn't go and see Seria now, not with Sayer supposedly on his way here. For now, I knew I would just have to keep my questions to myself.

"Hey!" Liquid shouted, pulling me out of my thoughts. "What're you staring into space for? You got anything goin' on upstairs there?" he asked me.

"What?!" I asked.

"Hey now, get ahold of yourself! This is the Arcadia Movement Headquarters!" Liquid seemed slightly irritated by my response.

"Arcadia Movement...?" I muttered.

"Yes, the Arcadia Movement." Liquid sighed.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to figure some stuff out." I murmured.

"Okay, give your brain a rest 'til we get some instructions then." Liquid suggested.

I looked around the room. It was small, only possessing two beds, two windows, one bedside drawer and a bench. I could already tell that both Okita and Liquid had claimed ownership of the two beds. So I just sat down on the bench and decided to go through the deck that Seria gave me.

Most of the cards I had in my deck I had recalled seeing at some point or another, which was weird, because I was unable to pinpoint exactly when I had seen most of these cards, or how I even knew how to use them. I began sorting my cards into various piles based on the sorts of combos my deck could use.

Just as I finished shuffling and recombining the deck, the door to our room opened up, and Sayer walked in. I cautiously got up off the bench and walked over to where Okita and Liquid were.

"Psychic Duelists, listen up!" Sayer barked, causing Okita and Liquid to straighten themselves up quickly. I followed suit, though I was confused. Sayer had admitted to Seria while I was in their company that I had no such psychic powers. So why would he say that I was one? And why did he want it to be kept a secret?

I sighed, thinking it would be best not to ask and just go with the flow.

"The next operation to be carried out by our very own Arcadia Movement has been decided upon!" Sayer began. "Our target will be the Sector Security event, the Fortune Cup. Apparently, a large number of Duelists with amazing skills are set to participate in this tournament, with the winner being crowned the champion of New Domino City." Sayer explained. "Of course, the title has little interest to me. The main reason for going is that we suspect Sector Security to be plotting something behind the scenes... And I can't let them go about their business without any oversight now, can I?!" Sayer chuckled.

Sayer turned back towards the door. "Akiza, come!" he shouted.

A young girl, probably around my age, meekly stepped into the room, before making her way over to Sayer. She had dark burgundy hair and wore a victorian-style outfit that showed off a good amount of cleavage. A silver hairpin was positioned at the top of her head to keep her front bangs positioned away from her eyes. I'll be honest, she was quite a beautiful girl.

"Everyone, this is Akiza Izinski. She has been invited to take part in the Fortune Cup." Sayer explained, motioning to the girl.

"Hi..." Akiza said, somewhat coldly, and yet somewhat bashfully. She was sticking unnervingly close to Sayer and seemed to be hanging off his every word.

"I need the three of you to infiltrate the rear of the event hall in order to support her." Sayer began. "That being said, the arena will be heavily guarded, and as you're all novices, you probably won't have enough power to bend a psychic Duel to your will. Not like Akiza anyway..."

"Yes, sir..." Liquid and Okita muttered. I joined in about halfway through.

"The three of you will have to work together! Consider it a kind of field training." Sayer said, turning back to Akiza. "Akiza, make sure you give those other contestants a real taste of your powers!"

"Yes, sir." Akiza bowed. "Everything will be as you wish, Sayer."

Sayer then turned toward Okita, Liquid and I. "All right then. You three, head on over to the tournament area. And don't fail me!" and so, Sayer left the room with Akiza following closely behind.

I'm sure that Sayer didn't mean it to come across this way, but his words sounded a lot more threatening than he needed them to be. I looked over at Okita and Liquid, who were both strapping on their Duel Disks.

"Oh well... To think our first mission is at the Fortune Cup..." Okita murmured.

"All the more reason for us to get it right then!" I smiled.

"Well," Liquid piped up as the door to our room opened. "No sense in wasting time. Let's get to work!"


	2. Three Guys, One Fortune Cup

The stadium where the Fortune Cup was taking place turned out to be a short walk from the Arcadia Movement Headquarters. There was a lot of security around the event hall, so Okita, Liquid and I decided to take a seat at a nearby bench to gather our thoughts and think up a plan.

Sayer had already taken Akiza into the main event hall, and we weren't able to go in that way, as it required us to show off our invitations, which of course we did not have.

"We're not actually entered in the tournament, so we can't get in from the front." Liquid explained, eyeing all of the security, which to me seemed a little unnecessary for a Duel Monsters tournament.

"So what do we do then?" I asked.

"I'll look around here." Okita suggested. "You go look around the entrance gate..."

I nodded, walking up through the New Domino plaza and making my way to the entrance gate, where a Sector Security officer was standing guard. I walked up to him, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he cut me off.

"This is the stadium for the Fortune Cup. Only those who have been confirmed to be competing are allowed beyond this point." the officer explained.

"Okay then. Thank you for your time." I smiled weakly, realizing it was probably futile to reason with him. After all, I didn't have an invitation, so there was no way I could validate myself as a participant of the tournament and actually enter the stadium.

Instead, I turned back and made my way though the plaza and back over to where Liquid was standing, alone. "There's absolutely no way that we can get through the front." I informed. "The guy didn't even let me speak. He just totally interrupted me."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Liquid sighed.

"Guys!" Okita called out. Liquid and I turned to see him running over towards us.

"Okita, what is it?" Liquid asked.

"I believe I found a way that we can enter the stadium from! Follow me!" Okita ordered, running away from us. Liquid and I shrugged our shoulders before chasing after the tan-skinned boy.

Okita led us to the opposite side of the stadium, where there was absolutely no one around besides us three. There was a medium-sized vent that seemed to lead into the building. "So this is how we get in?" Liquid panted.

"Unfortunately, it's the only way to get in and out without getting spotted. I highly doubt there will be Sector Security hanging about a ventilation shaft." Okita said.

"In that case," Liquid began, taking a deep breath. "We'll watch to make sure nobody's coming. You go in first, Tyler."

"Okay." I sighed. I did have objections with me being the first to go in, but I suppose that someone had to go in. So in a way, I was glad that it was me.

"We'll meet up with you in the waiting room." Liquid said as I was able to quite easily pull the cover off the vent. I was able to easily crawl inside and make my way through to the other side.

I soon realized why there was no security. The place was a shipping yard. There were boxes piled high and scattered around everywhere. I treaded lightly, not wanting the sound of my footsteps to carry throughout the room in case there was someone else in here with me. I walked around, inspecting the area for some time, searching for an exit.

Now despite what I thought would happen, I eventually did make it out of there. I found an unlocked door which led out to the docking bay which was conveniently located right next to a side entrance to the stadium.

Heading inside the massive double doors, I expected that there would be plenty of duelists in the area, and I would need to hurry. That wasn't the case. Although I could hear a massive crowd cheering outside, the waiting room was deserted.

I didn't have to wait as long as I thought I would for Liquid to show up. "Hey, Tyler. I hear lots of cheering going on. Has the duel finished or something?" Liquid asked, running up to me.

"I'm not sure, but this place is deserted so I assume so." I answered.

"Well if it's over, we'd better get moving! We can't risk getting found out now!" Liquid shouted.

"Agreed. But what about Okita? Where is he?" I asked.

"I don't know. He ran off somewhere! Probably to the duel field!" Liquid guessed.

"Well, whatever he's doing, he's taking forever...!" I groaned. We both heard the rush of footsteps as Okita stepped through the door of the waiting room, hands on his knees, panting.

"Okita, what happened?" I asked.

"I apologize for my lateness, but I have news! Akiza Izinski just lost the semi-final match."

"What?!" Liquid shouted.

"Oh no!" I added.

"Don't we need her to win for this plan to work?" Liquid asked. Okita and I both shrugged. "Well, what do we do now then?!"

"I guess we just have to go home and forget about it. Even coming here was probably a waste of time now." Okita murmured.

"We'd better head off before people start flooding through." I said.

Okita shook his head. "The finals match is beginning soon. I don't think anyone in the crowd would want to miss that, so I think we're free to hang around here for a little bit..."

"And do what?" Liquid asked.

"Well..." Okita smirked. "Why don't we take a peek around before we go on our merry little way?"

"I guess there's no harm in that." Liquid said. "How 'bout it, Tyler?"

"Alright, but we should stick together this time." I said. Okita and Liquid both nodded as we made our way out of the waiting room. We were just about to head down the hall when we heard footsteps coming our way, so we hang back.

"Nice job, Akiza. Now let's go home." Sayer's voice sounded, causing us to sigh with relief that it wasn't a Sector Security officer. But why was Sayer congratulating Akiza on a loss?

"But I... I..." I heard Akiza trail off.

"Let's go. You need rest now." Sayer said softly as both he and Akiza came into our view. Sayer turned to us. "Everyone, the plan is on hold. We're going home." he instructed.

"Yes, sir." we said, following behind Sayer until camp laughter stopped us in our tracks.

"Akiza Izinski, stop right there!" a voice called out.

The five of us turned to see a man with a large shock of brown hair wearing a white suit exit the elevator leading to the duel field. On opposite sides of him were two men in suits and shades. "My name is Zigzix Akutsu, and I have been given orders by Director Goodwin to escort you to his office."

"As if I would ever want to give him the time of day..." Sayer muttered, causing us to turn to him.

"If you won't come willingly, then I suppose I'll just have to take you by force then!" Zigzix shouted. The two men beside him slowly advanced towards us.

"I don't have time for this nonsense... I have to take Akiza home so she can rest..." Sayer muttered, taking a card out of his pocket before holding it up above his head. I was only just barely able to get a look at the card as a wave of energy seemed to erupt out of it, knocking the two suited men to the ground, unconscious.

"Holy crap..." I whispered, not realizing until now the power of a psychic duelist.

"Maybe next time you'll think about crossing the Arcadia Movement!" Sayer snickered, causing Zigzix to gulp.

Zigzix wearily took a step back, before rushing into the elevator.

Sayer chuckled as he and Akiza turned back to exit the stadium. I was still kind of shellshocked from witnessing the powers of a psychic duelist. If Sayer possessed these powers, then that would mean that Akiza, Liquid, Okita and Seria all...

"Come on, Tyler, let's beat it. We don't have any more reason to be here." Liquid said, walking over to me while Okita followed Sayer and Akiza out.

"I-I'll catch up with you... J-just give me a minute..." I murmured, looking over at the Zigzix' unconscious posse. Liquid nodded, heading out with the others.

I was probably standing there for far longer than I should have been, because when I turned to run out the stadium doors, I ran smack into somebody. I grunted as I was knocked to the ground.

"Oh no! Are you alright? I'm such a klutz! Here let me help you up." a smooth-sounding feminine voice sounded above me. I looked up to see a young woman in a blue and white striped shirt which was worn underneath an orange vest offer me her hand to get up.

"It's my fault." I assured the girl. "I was caught up with something and I didn't watch where I was going."

The girl bent down to pick up her glasses, which I realized greatly obscured my view of her light blue eyes. When she looked back at me, she gasped.

"What?" I asked.

"That uniform... You're a duelist from the Arcadia Movement, right?" the woman asked.

"Yeah..." I said, unsure of where she was going with this.

"I'm Carly Carmine, journalist! I want you to tell me everything you know about the Arcadia Movement!" she insisted, pulling out a tape recorder and slowly advancing on me.

Something inside me was saying that giving this girl any kind of information about the Arcadia Movement was a bad idea. "I'm sorry," I began. "If you want to know about the Arcadia Movement, you'll need to talk to someone else."

"But that's-"

Carly and I both gasped at the sound of engines roaring. We turned towards the elevator. "What's that?" I asked.

"The finals match... Has it already started?!" Carly pondered, before straightening herself up.

A loud cry echoed through both of our ears. It was so loud that I dropped to my knees. I clutched my head in agony as the headache that I had experienced earlier in the day returned and intensified. "The hell?!" I shouted.

"What with the loud screeching just now?!" Carly asked when it finally died down.

"I dunno. Maybe we should just get out of here." I said.

"No way!" Carly insisted. "I've gotta get to the stadium, pronto!" she said, running into the elevator.

Taking a split-second to think it over, I decided to follow Carly into the elevator. "Hold the door!" I shouted. Carly did as I asked and prevented the doors from closing until I was inside with her.

An awkward silence followed as we just stared at the elevator doors, lounge music playing through the speakers. When the doors opened, Carly and I scrambled out of the elevator and could do nothing but look up at a giant red dragon in the sky. As quick as I was at looking up at the dragon, it disappeared in an instant, leaving me stunned. My head was killing me by now.

"Whoa! This is gonna be HUGE! I gotta get an interview!" Carly hyped, running to one of the stands as the Commentator's voice played through the speakers surrounding the arena.

"Ohhh, the drama! What a shocker! No one could have predicted this! Today, we have witnessed the birth of a new King of Turbo Duels, Yusei Fudo!"

"Yusei...?" I muttered. That name. It was so familiar to me!

The pain I was experiencing now was so great that my eyes had actually forced themselves shut. And then, the pain faded, along with the noise of the crowd.

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes slowly. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in New Domino City anymore. I seemed to be floating in the sky above a ruined town. Many of the buildings that I saw were old and run down, the sky dark with smog, the stale air blowing empty bottles and cans across the ground. An empty can rolled by a group of people just as one of them brought their foot up and then down again, crushing the can beneath them. My eyes locked on the five individuals. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I recognized that one of individuals, the one who crushed the can, was a younger version of me.

And just like that, the pain in my head made itself known once more, and the crowd roared with excitement. Before I knew it, I was back at the stadium. Breathing heavily, I wiped the sweat from my face, turned and ran back into the elevator.

I had to get back to the Arcadia Movement. I felt like if I stayed at the Fortune Cup stadium any longer, I would pass out.

The elevator doors opened and I made a mad dash out of the event hall. This time around, there was no security at the front gate, probably because the tournament was 'officially' over. Regardless, I let myself through the gate and sprinted back to the Arcadia Movement Headquarters.

Stumbling through the headquarters, I made it to the elevator, and then to my room, frantically swiping the card through the scanner several times over to get the door open.

"Tyler, hey-" Liquid stopped, probably because I looked like a mess. Without another word, I ripped off my duel disk and collapsed face-down on the bench.


	3. The Power of a Psychic Duelist

The neon strip around the door to our room flickered as the lights from the ceiling turned on, following suit. I turned over, trying to shield my eyes from the light, but it was no use. I grunted, mumbling a couple curses under my breath as I slid my legs over the side of the bench as I got up wearily. I was surprised to see that both Liquid and Okita were already wide awake and seemingly ready to take on whatever the day had in store for them.

"Guess you're feeling better now, huh?" Liquid asked, looking me over as my eyes met his.

"Y-yeah..." I murmured, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"After you staggered on in here yesterday and fell right to sleep, I was kinda worried." Liquid admitted.

"Sorry, Liquid. I guess it was just nerves or something. But I'm fine now." I assured him, smiling gently.

"Well you'd better be. If that's what you're like on your very first day, I can't say the future's looking good for you..." he said bluntly, causing my smile to fade instantly. What a fantastic start to the day...

"I'm very pleased that you're feeling alright today, Tyler. I just hope it was nothing too serious." Okita piped up, my smile returning.

"Thanks, Okita." I grinned. At least one of my new friends was concerned for my wellbeing.

"So Tyler, am I right in understanding that you are to start training today?" Okita presumed, changing the subject.

"Training?" I asked.

"Yes, at the Training Room." Okita confirmed. "Liquid and I completed ours yesterday, but Seria gave you a pardon after seeing your condition."

"I see..." I muttered.

"She should be down at the Training Room waiting for you." Liquid said.

"Okay." I said getting up off the bench and walking to the doorframe, before turning back. "Um, where exactly is the Training Room?" I asked, causing Liquid to let out an exasperated sigh.

"Just exit this building and head west. Unless you're blind, you can't miss it!" Liquid chuckled.

I rolled my eyes at Liquid's attempt of a 'joke' and left the room without saying anything. I made my way to the elevator and got to the ground floor. Leaving the main building, I followed the exterior pathway to where the Training Room supposedly was. Swiping my key card, I made my way inside.

The Training Room itself was rather dull. Four chalk-drawn Duel fields were evenly spaced throughout the room, which was lit poorly by a pale blue fluorescent light. Standing at one end of one of the Duel fields was Seria, who was surprisingly the only person in the Training Room aside from myself.

"Tyler, hey!" Seria called out happily as I briskly walked up to her.

"Hi, Seria!" I tried to match her enthusiasm, but failed.

"You're looking a lot better today." Seria smiled.

"I feel a lot better, thank you." I said.

"That's good." Seria smiled. "Normally, Chekku is the one who runs the Puzzle Training, but I thought it would be better if I took you through it today."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." I said.

Seria glanced at my Duel disk. "Okay. I'll just set up the field." She said, sliding a card into her Duel disk. "You won't need your deck for this, just these." Seria explained, handing me a bunch of cards as I removed my deck and placed it in my pocket. I slid the cards that Seria gave me on my Duel disk. "You ready?" she asked.

"Uh... yeah..." I said.

"Alright then. Without further adieu, let's get started!" Seria hyped, activating her Duel disk.

I took steps backwards until the entirety of the Duel field was within my view, and then activated my Duel disk.

[Tyler: 1000 LP]  
[Seria: 2600 LP]

"Okay, Tyler. I want you to try and defeat me this turn." Seria urged.

"Um... alright then..." I murmured. I quietly looked over the field, mapping out several different scenarios in my head. My biggest concern was the only card, a face-down card, that Seria had on the field. If I summoned either of the monsters I had in my hand, I could attack right away with the Tune Warrior I already had out and win the game. But that face-down... I didn't have any Spell or Trap removal, so if Seria's card was something like Magic Cylinder or Ring of Destruction, I'd be screwed. Of course though, Seria said that I had to try and beat her this turn, so the only option I had was to summon another monster and attack with both.

I quickly shook my head. "I summon Acrobat Monkey in Attack Position!" I shouted, gently slotting the card into my Duel disk. A robotic monkey appeared on my field to the left of my Tune Warrior.

[Acrobat Monkey: ATK: 1000]  
[Tune Warrior: ATK: 1600]

"Attack, Acrobat Monkey!" I shouted, flinging my hand forward. My monster did a variety of jumps and flips, making its way over to Seria and knocking her to the ground.

[Seria: 1600 LP]

I was a bit perplexed as to why one attack was enough to knock Seria down. As far I knew, she possessed the same psychic abilities as Sayer and Akiza. Perhaps not as powerful, but still. I didn't think I'd be strong enough to knock her down. Nevertheless, I hesitated, waiting for Seria to pick herself up off the ground, before I attacked her with my Tune Warrior, winning me the Duel.

[Seria: 0 LP]

Seria dusted herself down, before looking over and smiling at me. "Excellent work, Tyler!"

"Really? Are you serious?" I asked softly. I wasn't sure if Seria was kidding or not. The puzzle seemed far too easy for it to be considered any kind of training, in my opinion. But if she thought I did a good job, then who was I to complain, right? Besides, I did have a pretty stressful day yesterday. Perhaps she took that into account when she saw my condition and made the puzzle incredibly easy? Or maybe the puzzle was the same for both Okita and Liquid when they started training? Whatever the reason behind the puzzle's complexity, or lack thereof, I was appreciative that it was easy. After the rather confusing day I had, I didn't really want to use my brain for a while.

"I'll go and inform Sayer of your terrific progress!" Seria beamed as I handed back the cards I used for the puzzle. "Oh, I forgot to mention, tomorrow you'll need to head down to the Outer Rim on the other side of New Domino City for your Duel Runner training. Unfortunately, I won't be the instructor for that, but I'm sure you'll perform well with whoever your instructor may be."

I nodded. "Thank you for today, Seria."

"No problem, Tyler." Seria, once again, smiled warmly, before leaving the Training Room.

Taking a few moments to collect my thoughts, I then followed suit. As far as I knew, I was done for the day, and so I decided to see if I could catch up on the sleep that I was robbed of earlier on the day. I headed back into the main building, and swiped my key card to get into the elevator.

I was almost back at my room when I heard a voice. "Help! Please!" I stood completely still and blinked a few times. The voice... it sounded like one of the ones from my visions. It was definitely a girl's voice, but I couldn't pinpoint the age.

"Ah Tyler, there you are!" Sayer said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned to see him approaching me, a smile across his face.

"Hello Sayer... sir." I added, feeling particularly awkward having to talk to him one-on-one.

"You look a lot better than you did yesterday. You really gave me... Us quite a scare." Sayer smirked.

"I'm feeling a lot better, thank you." I said, trying to be as polite and sound as formal as possible.

"Seria told me that you've finished your training." Sayer smiled. "She sounded very impressed by your skills."

"Yeah... I, um... start my Duel Runner training tomorrow..." I muttered.

"Excellent. Well, you've finished your training for the day. I guess you could come and help me sharpen Akiza up. Follow me!" he ordered. Sharpen Akiza up?

I noticed that Sayer's demeanor had changed from easy-going and friendly to serious in all but a split second. I still didn't know my way around the building that well, so I followed Sayer closely until we reached a door.

It was different to all the others in the building. It had double doors, and what I assumed to be gold running around the doorframe. Sayer gently turned the knob and opened the door, revealing to me his office. At least, that's what I assumed the room to be.

The room was fitted with marble statues depicting various different monsters, blue drapes and a burgundy carpet. An air conditioner mounted on the wall let out a soft continuous hum as the breeze created brushed through my hair. All in all, Sayer's office was a truly impressive sight. "Come!" Sayer ordered. Doing as he said, I followed him into the room.

It was then that I saw Akiza again. She had her same outfit on which left little to my imagination. She was standing on one side of the room and had a spaced-out expression on her face. I walked to the opposite side of the room as Sayer went to the center. "Now, I want you to Duel against Akiza." Sayer said calmly. As for me, I nearly did a spit-take. At the Fortune Cup, Sayer knocked two beefy guys unconscious with a single card. He couldn't possibly expect me to stand up to Akiza, who was apparently the Movement's best Duelist, could he?

"Akiza," Sayer began, directing his attention to her. Akiza's eyes brightened, as if just hearing her name spoken by Sayer gave her great joy. "It looks like you're still not in perfect condition, so don't overdo it, okay?" Sayer said softly. "Just take it easy and think of this as light training." he smirked.

I don't know why, but I felt offended when he said 'light training'. As if I was nothing but a tool used to bring out someone else's abilities. Abilities which he said from the very start that I don't possess. It was right then that I decided I would go all-out to prove to Sayer that I was anything but 'light training'. So what if Akiza was the Arcadia Movement's best Duelist, I still had a chance, right?

"So you're my opponent." Akiza said turning to me. "You must be tired of training..."

"Uh... A little bit..." I blushed. This was of course the first time that Akiza had directly spoken to me, and to be honest, I was a little shy.

"Well thanks for Dueling with me anyway." Akiza smiled sweetly.

"You're welco-" I began.

"Akiza." Sayer interrupted, causing Akiza to turn to him eagerly. "There is no need for such small talk. Just think of this only as something to help bring back your senses." Sayer ordered.

"Yes sir." Akiza said, turning back to me. "Very well, let's begin." she said as we both powered on our Duel disks.

* * *

"Black Rose Dragon! Attack!" Akiza ordered. Her monster happily obeyed, charging an attack in its mouth before firing it at me. If this were a regular Duel, I would've been left standing. But it wasn't. This was a psychic Duel. During the Duel, all the damage I felt from the attacks was real. Throughout the Duel, it didn't matter what I did, Akiza was always umpteen steps ahead of me. When it was made blatantly clear that I didn't have a chance in Hell of winning the Duel, I tried to keep a straight face, thinking that it would impress Sayer or something, but he was more interested in Akiza and her performance.

Anyway, the dragon's attack hit me. I had no face-down cards to block with. All the damage I had taken from the Duel thus far was nothing compared to the power of Akiza's dragon. The force of the attack pushed me into one of the statues, breaking it in half, while at the same time burning off the top of my uniform and some of my hair. When Akiza saw what she had done, her eyes widened and she ran up to me, as I struggled to my feet.

"Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Akiza said, wrapping her hands around mine as if to support me so I wouldn't suddenly collapse. "I wanted to control my psychic powers, but they just... came out!"

I breathed heavily, unintentionally emphasizing the damage she had dome to me during our Duel. "I'm fine..." I said weakly, it clearly showing in my voice that I was anything but fine.

Sayer walked up to us. "She still can't fully control her powers..." I heard him mumble. Sayer glanced at me before turning to Akiza. "You must still be a little tired. Take the rest of the day off." he suggested. I nearly scoffed at Sayer's remark. After all, why the fuck would she need the day off?! I just got thrown into a fucking statue! I'm the one with second degree burns and a bald patch! I'm the one who's injured!

Of course, I didn't have the gall to say any of that out loud. I didn't blame Akiza for what happened, I just thought that Sayer would perhaps be a little more, I don't know, concerned regarding my condition!

"But... he's hurt and-" Akiza began.

Sayer sighed, and tipped Akiza's chin to his own with his hand, causing Akiza to let go of mine. "Akiza, look into my eyes. I'm sure our friend over there will be okay. There's no need for you to worry." Sayer said calmly.

"Yes, sir..." Akiza muttered as Sayer left, with Akiza following closely behind. She looked back at me briefly, a concerned expression across her face, before she turned and headed out the door.

My legs eventually gave in and I collapsed onto the soft carpet. My vision began to blur as the effects of the psychic Duel took their toll on my psyche and my body. The rhythm of my heartbeat slowed down incredibly as my breathing softened, eventually doing the same. The cool air blown from the room's air conditioner seemed more intense now than ever, especially against my bare chest. Numbness overcame me as a shadow made its way across the outside of the room.

I could feel the rush of footsteps from the vibrations in the ground. Just as I felt myself slipping away into unconsciousness, the source of the shadow frantically ran into the room and knelt down beside me, putting one of their hands on my right shoulder. I wasn't able to distinguish who it was, what with my body going out on me and the person's voice being muffled as a result. I knew one thing, and in that moment, I had to believe in it with all of my heart...

I would be okay...


	4. Encounter – The Turning Point

I struggled.

It was the only thing I could do. I was there again, facing up to Akiza's Black Rose Dragon, Sayer watching from a distance. As Akiza's dragon unleashed its final attack, I watched as my skin began to rot. Akiza wore a sinister grin on her face, unlike last time, as if she took pleasure in the pain she was dealing, my final moments. Sayer looked over at me, perfectly content to just stand and watch as my body withered away, and death approached me.

Just as that moment reached me however, I was overcome with a sudden clarity, and the dream faded away...

I opened my eyes slowly and pushed myself up, every fiber in my body practically screaming at me for even ushering any kind of movement. I must have subconsciously made a sound, because Okita and Liquid both got up out of their beds and rushed over to me as I collapsed back down on the bench I was on.

"Easy, Tyler." Okita cautioned.

"Wha...? What happened?" I mumbled.

"You don't remember?" Okita asked.

"I remember Akiza beating the crap out of me and then Sayer acting like a total douche about it..." I muttered. "And... someone came in afterwards..."

"Seria found you in unconscious in Sayer's office and brought you back here after patching you up." Liquid explained.

I then realized that I was wearing another uniform, whereas the top half of the last one was burnt off from Akiza's attack. But if I was wearing an entirely new uniform... and Seria 'patched me up', then did that mean that she...?

"Um... What do you mean by 'patching me up' exactly?" I asked, turning myself slowly as my legs hung off the side of the bench.

"Well we don't know. She brought you back here to rest and you already had a new uniform on. Why do you ask?"

"No reason!" I interjected, quickly cutting through Okita's question.

"Well, anyway." Liquid began, drawing our attention to him. "You're awake now, right? So you start Duel Runner training today?"

"I, I... um... wait, what?" I asked.

"Duel Runner training. Didn't Seria tell you yesterday? Apparently the Arcadia Movement was able to secure exclusive use of the track in the Outer Rim for today only." Okita said. "Sayer said that it was really important that we all learn to ride on Duel Runners."

"Don't worry, we're all in the same boat. Mine starts in a couple minutes, yours starts at noon, and Okita's got his in the afternoon." Liquid jumped in.

"R-Riding a Duel Runner... I don't know..." I was still a little uneasy about the whole thing. I had never even owned a Duel Runner, let alone ridden one. And now I was expected to go through some training course?

"Look, Tyler. You'll be fine." Okita assured me, sensing the look of distress on my face.

"Yeah, I mean, worst case scenario, you'll get thrown off the Runner and get a couple scrapes and bruises. But hey, you'd be in better shape than you were after your Duel with Akiza." Liquid chuckled.

"Shouldn't you be heading to the Outer Rim?" I asked, not really wanting to sit here and listen and listen to Liquid's jokes.

"Crap! You're right! See ya, guys!" Liquid, realizing that he was supposed to have left by now in order to make it on time, turned and ran out of the room, heading to the Outer Rim to begin his Duel Runner training.

"Don't feel too bad for losing to Akiza. She's the Arcadia Movement's best. Some say she's even better than Sayer. A lot of the other members thought you had guts going up against her."

"Great. So everyone in this place knows I lost?"

"Yeah, but no one cares that you lost." Okita sighed. "Well, except for Akiza. She came by while you were asleep and asked about how you were. Then she went on about how one of her opponents in the Fortune Cup said that all she could do was cause pain, and that maybe he was right."

"It's not her fault if she can't control her powers." I said. "Maybe I'd better go talk to her. Let her know that I don't hold her responsible for what happened."

"Well, yeah. I guess you could do that. Just be sure to be at the Outer Rim by noon."

"Wait, so you don't want to come with me?" I asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm thinking of heading to the Reference Room and reading up on what I can about Duel Runners. I'd prefer to be fully prepared and know what to expect then be like Liquid and just wing it." Okita explained.

"Alright, fair enough. You go and have 'fun'... 'reading'..." I chuckled, heading out of the room. In truth, I had absolutely no idea where Akiza's room was. And there was no way that I was gonna go and ask Sayer. Instead, I decided to take up Seria's standing offer and head down to the lab. She'd probably know where Akiza's room was, and be able to direct me to where it was so I wouldn't get lost. But I could also thank Seria for saving me.

I headed into the elevator and pressed the button to head to the ground floor. Once the door opened, I walked out of the elevator and down a hallway which protruded off to where the lab was. I knocked on the door twice and waited. "Just a sec!" I heard Seria call out from behind the door. A couple seconds later the door opened. I was surprised to see that both Akiza and Seria were in the lab, finishing up a conversation. Looks like I wouldn't need to go looking for Akiza after all...

"Oh! Tyler!" Seria shouted, Akiza twitching and turning to me. "I was just about to come and see you. How are you feeling?" Seria asked me.

"A lot better, thanks to you." I smiled.

"Tyler, I'm... really sorry about yesterday." Akiza said. "I honestly didn't mean to hurt you. The last thing I'd want to do is cause any friction between myself and other members of the movement."

"Akiza, it's fine." I assured her. "I'm just sorry I didn't put up a better fight in our Duel."

My statement seemed to make Akiza look away, as if she was thinking about something she wanted to ask me. Of course, whatever she wanted, I'd probably say yes! "That deck you were using wasn't yours though, was it?" Akiza asked.

"Um..." I looked towards Seria for guidance, because I had absolutely no idea. Seria looked over at the capsule-like bed in the center of the room and then back to me. Something about her expression told me that she was rather uncomfortable with the way the conversation had headed.

"Tyler was given that deck as a means of testing his abilities. It's still early days, but once we know what Tyler's skills as a Duelist are, we'll be able to tailor a deck specifically built to his strengths." Seria explained. "By the way, shouldn't you be heading to the Outer Rim for Duel Runner training?" Seria asked.

"Well Liquid said that mine starts at noon so-"

"Maybe you should head over a little early." Seria suggested. "See how Liquid's doing?"

"If you... think I should..." I muttered. Seria nodded quickly.

"Yes! Yes! You definitely should! Right now!" she insisted.

"Well, okay... um... thanks again..." I muttered. Seria seemed like she wanted to try and get rid of me, but she did have a point. Okita was down at the Reference Room reading up about Duel Runner theory, while I could do the next best thing and head over to watch Liquid. Then at least I'd know what not to do. I said my goodbyes to both Akiza and Seria as I left the lab and then exited the Arcadia Movement Headquarters altogether.

Walking through New Domino City on my way to the Outer Rim was completely different to when Okita, Liquid and I went to gatecrash the Fortune Cup and support Akiza. For one thing, there was no one around, since the whole population of the city was practically packed into the stadium. Now though, there were many people all walking around, a great majority of them wearing fancy clothes and sporting microphones and cameras, all in a rush as if they running late or something. I caught a couple of them glancing at me out of the corner of their eyes, probably wondering why I was wearing such strange clothing.

"Hey!" a voice called out from behind me. I turned to see this rather seedy-looking guy approach me. He was the only one around that wasn't wearing some suit and tie. Instead, this guy was wearing some mismatch of bright green and a dark brown. He also wasn't holding a microphone or a camera, like so many others were. "You haven't seen that Satellite shithead around here, have you? Apparently he hasn't left the city yet. We're all tryin' to find him."

"Excuse me?" I asked, not knowing who the dude was on about.

"The scum-fucker from Satellite who won the Fortune Cup?!" the man sighed.

"The Fortune Cup?" I repeated, trying to recall all that had transpired that day. I remembered that somebody won, and it was someone who was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The man sighed once more, realizing that his conversation with me was going nowhere very quickly. "I'm sorry. You're wearing that Arcadia uniform. I just assumed you'd know the identity of the person who defeated your best Duelist." The guy ranted. "Look. If you see a guy with a Criminal Mark walking around, call Sector Security, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." I waved him off as I he ran to catch up to one of the other groups of people who were running rampant through the city. As for me, I continued on to my original route. There were no more interruptions and I picked up the pace as I caught sight of the gate to the Duel Runner track. I could hear the faint revving of a Duel Runner from behind the gate as I saw Liquid come around on the course. Even with the movement of the Duel Runner, I could tell that Liquid was shaking like crazy as he struggled to keep upright.

"You're doing fine, Liquid!" a man called out encouragement. "Just try not to take the corners too late! And if you're not feeling comfortable, you can always slow down! No pressure!" the man must've heard my footsteps, because he immediately turned to face me. "Yo! You're Tyler Nochi, right?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

The man laughed. "Excellent! My name's Kawasaki, and I'll be taking you through your Duel Runner training in a little bit. You nervous?"

"A little..." I admitted. "I've never been on a Duel Runner before."

"Ah! Well don't worry. These models struggle to go above thirty miles an hour. And I was just saying to Liquid, if at any time you feel uncomfortable, you can stop, it won't matter." Kawasaki smiled gently. His words eased my nerves a little, and I was happy to see that so far everyone in the Arcadia Movement was friendly. Well... everyone except Sayer, which was pretty weird.

I spent the next hour or so watching Liquid make his way around the track several times while Kawasaki and I continued to chat, mostly about my Duel with Akiza. The moment came when I saw Liquid come around again before he slowed to a stop. He got off the Duel Runner and Kawasaki opened the gate. My heart began to race.

"Nice work, Liquid." Kawasaki smiled.

"Thanks. It was harder than I thought, but I think I did alright." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, hey, Tyler." Liquid greeted. "Were you watching me?" he asked.

"Yeah, you did really well."

"Thanks. Well hey, word of advice: you gotta watch out for the obstacles, or they'll really slow ya down."

"Obstacles?" I asked.

"Yep. Tar, dirt, signs, pillars."

"Alright, hold on. I don't think I'm ready for this."

"You've got to have at least tried." Kawasaki urged. "Look, I'll be coaching you through it. You'll do fine."

"Yeah, you'll do fine." Liquid added.

I sighed, trying to slow down my breathing. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

"Now that's the spirit!" Kawasaki shouted. "Alright, just head through the gate and get on the Runner. I'll direct you with what you need to do after that."

I nodded, walking through the gate and over to the Duel Runner. Liquid had left the helmet on the seat, so I hesitantly put it over my head and got on the Duel Runner. I squirmed a little on the seat as I looked at what was in front of me. I could hear Kawasaki instructing me on what to do, but I wasn't listening. I revved the Duel Runner once, before taking off onto the highway.

Whatever Kawasaki was shouting me, I was blocking from my mind. I just let the moment draw me into it, the wind blowing past me as I heard the snaps of my uniform. Liquid wasn't kidding when he talked about obstacles either. The signs, tar and dirt I was prepared for, but near the end of the course these two pillars seemed to burst out of the ground. I swerved, dodging both with minimal effort. It was little more than pure instinct to me.

"Bring it in now, Tyler!" Kawasaki shouted. As he instructed, I slowed the Duel Runner to a stop, put it into park and took off the helmet and resting it on the seat. As I walked back through the gate, I saw that both Kawasaki and Liquid had looks of shock and amazement on their faces.

"What?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"That... was... incredible!" Kawasaki shouted. "You didn't even have to go around for a second run! You dodged everything on your first lap. You've got one of the fastest times. If you can keep that up, you'll be in excellent shape, buddy!"

"Thank you, sir."

I noticed that Liquid was still staring at me, looking as if he was struggling to find words to say to me. Eventually though, he sighed and spoke.

"You were fucking awesome!" Liquid shouted. "You didn't hit the sides once or nothing! There's no way that was your first time on a Duel Runner!"

"Well, I dunno what happened. I got on and I just knew what to do." I said passively.

"Pfft! Sure, that's it! C'mon be honest... you've ridden at least once before, haven't you?"

"I swear to you, that was my first time. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'd remember riding a Duel Runner."

Liquid chuckled. "Well you know what? I had my doubts about you before, but this right here, you're just plain awesome!"

"Thanks."

"No, really. I was acting like such a jerk to you before. I'm so sorry."

"You were a jerk? I didn't notice..." I lied.

"Well, you guys are done for the day, but would you mind going and getting Okita for his Duel Runner training?" Kawasaki asked.

"Sure." Liquid and I both answered in unison.

We began our trek back to the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, which was actually a lot better since I had someone to talk to now. The streets were completely deserted now other than the two of us, or so I thought.

"Tyler? Is that you?" I heard someone call out to me. The voice sent shivers down my spine as I turned to the direction of where the voice came from and caught sight of a young man with spiky black hair with yellow highlights and a strange gold mark on the side of his face. The expression on his face was one of horror, and I was mentally kicking myself, because I knew that I had seen him before somewhere. I took a step back as all of a sudden, the same pain that I felt at the Fortune Cup came back to me, accompanied by more visions.

I was floating above the same ruined city, which I finally recognized as the Satellite, talking to the same four people in the vision that I had at the Fortune Cup. I finally recognized two of the people: Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlas. Among them were a white-haired, dull-eyed young man and a short, spiky orange-haired guy. They... We... were talking about Duel Runners and-

"Tyler! It's me, Yusei!" he shouted, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Tyler, you don't look so hot. Are you okay? Do you know this guy?" Liquid asked, concerned. I was breathing shakily. Was I having some sort of mental breakdown?

"My head..." I croaked.

"Well, well... If it isn't Yusei Fudo..." I heard a voice mutter. Yusei, Liquid and I turned and saw Sayer walking towards us. "How about you stay out of my business!?" Sayer said hoarsely. "Somebody take him back to headquarters!" Sayer shouted.

Liquid looked at me, then Sayer, then Yusei and then back at me. "Yes, sir." Liquid said, walking over to me. He could tell that I was in no state to move.

"Tyler! Are you okay?!" I heard Yusei call out to me.

I watched, half-dazed, as Sayer approached Yusei. "This doesn't concern you. Leave at once!" Sayer cringed.

"C'mon, let's go." Liquid said as he began walking. I was fighting back the urge to vomit, and I didn't even know why. All of a sudden, Liquid draped one of my arms over his shoulder and we began making tiny, baby steps back to my room. My mind was racing a mile a minute.

I never did make it back to my room though. Sayer caught up with Liquid and I and he insisted that I come with him to the lab. I didn't know what to say or what to do, but Seria appeared and told me that it was for good of my health, and then tasked Liquid with getting Okita to head to the Outer Rim.

As we walked to the lab, Seria clenched one of her hands around me as the same uneasy expression she had when we were talking to Akiza crossed her face again. My legs gave in and I collapsed just outside the lab as Seria carried me in. I was placed back in the same capsule-like bed that I remembered waking up in when I first met Seria and Sayer. Lights and noises were coming out of the various machines that surrounded me. I tried listening in on their conversation, but I could barely make out what they were saying.

"I'm seeing a decrease in the level of consciousness, sir. At this rate, Ty... I mean, the subject will pass out on us." Seria said with a concerned tone. I felt a little uneasy as Seria went back to referring to me as 'the subject' rather than my name.

"So the brainwashing is wearing off?" Sayer asked bluntly. Brainwashing? What brainwashing?

"That's right, sir. It appears the subject experienced a great shock related to a past event." Seria said.

"Yusei Fudo..! That bastard! Time and time again, he keeps getting in my way!" Sayer growled, before my eyelids forced themselves shut. "If he gets any closer to this one, it could spell big trouble for us." Sayer sighed. "Let's strengthen the brainwashing so this one can better resist these pests from the past."

"But Sayer! The subject's brainwaves aren't stable. If we push him too far, he could die!" Seria shakily said, obviously concerned for my safety. I would've said thank you, I should've said thank you, but my mouth refused to open. I groaned, a feeling of despair rippling through my body.

"I see..." Sayer muttered. "We can't afford to lose such an important aspect. Especially after what happened with the last one... Preserving the subject's life takes top priority." Sayer instructed.

"Yes, sir..." Seria mumbled.

"He won't regain his memories, but we'll have to conduct more brainwashing again later..." I heard Sayer speak, and even though I knew he was standing over me, it was as if his voice was so far away.

Sayer... stole my memories? Then he... what else did he do to me? Why did he do this to me? Where did I come from?

Who am I?


	5. The Spirit World – A Sense of Purpose

"Would somebody... please help me!" a voice echoed. "I'm being held prisoner in the Spirit World. Somebody... please listen to me!" the voice repeated. It was that same girl's voice that I had heard several times before.

All of a sudden, the voice faded away, and the sound of rustling leaves and the feeling of cool breeze replaced it. I opened my eyes slowly as the light from the sun broke through my eyelids, causing my eyes to water.

I was standing in a forest. Looking about, I seemed to be the only one around. And I had nothing with me besides my Arcadia Movement uniform. That damn Sayer... What the hell did he do to me? I knew I couldn't waste any time. I'd made up my mind: I'd get out of this forest, find Sayer and have my revenge...

Of course, that was easier said than done, considering that everything in the forest looked the same, and I didn't feel as if I was heading anywhere in particular. That is until my eyes stumbled upon what looked like a stone gate. I thought that maybe, whoever was in there would be able to tell me where I am and how I could get to where I wanted to be. So, ignoring all other thoughts, I walked in.

On the opposite side of the wall was a medieval-style town which seemed to go on for no end. I sighed deeply and was about to shout out for someone to help when a little boy, probably no more than eight years old, popped his head out from behind the side of a house. "Hey! Over here! Hide over here!" the young boy shouted presumably at me. I then looked up and noticed two creatures at the top of a stairway. They had brown fur, large circular ears - they basically looked like giant monkeys - and both had on some chain mail, a helmet and carried a sword. One of them was coming down to, I assume, check out what all the noise was. The boy motioned for me to head over to where he was, so I ran to where to the young boy was, the two of us staying silent until the monkey-thing had left.

It was then that I got a better look at the boy. He did look around eight years old, but it's what he was wearing. He was dressed in a purple cloth which had been covered with what looked like a purple kind of armor. He had a little pointy hat on the top of his head, which was also colored purple, and he carried a dark blue staff. He looked just like... the Dark Magician...?

"Phew! That was a close call! They almost found us!" the boy cried.

I looked at him weirdly. "Uh... okay. Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Torunka!" he smiled. "What are you?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm a human..." I said with a 'do you really have to ask me that?' look on my face.

"Hmmm. A human huh?" Torunka seemed to be pondering something. "You must be real special then. If you're here, it means you were chosen." he said.

"Chosen?" I asked, confused. "Chosen for what?! What's going on?" I said angrily. My tone could've been better. After all, I was taking all my anger out on a kid.

"Whoa! Calm down! I'll explain everything." Torunka began. "Those goons back there belong to Zeman the Ape King. He controls this land. Zeman has been capturing many spirits and enslaving them to work for him." Torunka stopped, apparently waiting for me to take it all in before continuing. "I managed to escape, but Zeman turned me into a child. I really am a handsome and accomplished spellcaster! I know it doesn't seem so anymore..." he trailed off.

"Right..." I said with a slight smile on my face, holding back the urge to burst out laughing. This whole thing was crazy, but then again, I did need a good laugh.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Torunka asked coldly.

"Look, little dude. I don't have time to-"

"Open your eyes!" Torunka yelled. "Just take a look at this hollow shell of a town. The proof's right there!"

I scratched the back of my head with my right hand. "Uhhh... that's not what I was doubting..." I muttered.

"So you don't think I could've been a handsome and accomplished spellcaster, huh? Is that it?" Torunka asked.

"Well... I-"

Torunka let out an exasperated sigh. "Kids these days! They've got no respect for their elders! Ok fine, I'll prove it to you. Look at some of my magic. Torunka waved his staff around, before I was blanketed with a white light. When the light faded, I saw my deck and duel disk attached back to my left arm. "Here... perhaps you could use a little something like this now?" Torunka said cheekily.

"My deck!" I shouted.

"So now do you believe me?" Torunka asked, at which I quickly nodded. "The only thing is, the cards I just called forth can only be used in this world. If you don't have them all in the real world, then you'll have to go find them yourself."

"Right... well that's not gonna help me so much as I don't even know what this is place is or who I am anymore." I said.

"What do you mean?" Torunka asked.

I shook my head. "I-it's nothing!" I sighed, not wanting to bum the kid... spellcaster with my problems. I'd probably said too much already.

"Okay... Well we'd better get going!" Torunka said.

"Get going?! Where?" I asked, irritated that Torunka seemed to be keeping me in the dark.

"What do you mean 'where'?" Torunka asked in such a way that it seemed like he was talking to an idiot, even though he himself hadn't even mentioned any of this until now. "Why to Zeman's castle, of course! Oh? Now that I think of it, maybe I never mentioned that..." Exactly! "Didn't I ask you for a favor a while back?" Torunka asked.

"No." I replied, showing little emotion. "You just asked me to hide with you."

"Oh really? I guess it just slipped my mind. It's no fun getting old, I tell you!" Torunka ranted. "Looks like I'll have to explain..." Torunka cleared his throat. "Please help me rescue Luna. Ummm... that's all..." Torunka wavered.

"Who's Luna?" I asked.

Torunka sighed. "Young people today have so many questions!"

"Well maybe it would help if you explained what the hell is going on!" I vented.

"Very well. There is one other human in this world besides you, and that human holds the key to releasing the Ancient Fairy Dragon sealed away by Zeman. She's actually a child named Luna. She was the one who allowed me to escape, but she got captured by Zeman's goons. I really want to go and rescue her to repay my debt. Of course, I want to help the Spirit World too. I want to save them both. Problem is... I don't think I can rescue her by myself, so I need you to help me. Please, will you help me?" Torunka pleaded.

I just stood there for a while. Not because I was contemplating helping or not, but with everything else Torunka said. If this was the Spirit World... then wouldn't that mean I'm dead? And this girl Luna... would she be the voice I've been hearing? Was she the reason why I was called here? Whatever it was, it wasn't like I could just leave. No. Seria didn't have to help me when I was injured, but she did so anyway out of the kindness of her heart. I had to at least try and do the same. "I'll help you..." was all I could manage to say as my brain wasn't really focused on giving Torunka an answer.

"You will? Oh, I just knew there was something special about you. Let's go!" Torunka cheered, grabbing my wrist with his free hand. "Luna's being held in Zeman's castle. It's on the north side of town. Don't worry, I know the way!" Torunka smiled.

The whole walk there, I noticed our surroundings get darker, more rotten and broken. I was on my feet for what seemed like days, but it was easy to keep up with Torunka because of his small legs in his childish form. "Don't worry, we're... so close now..." Torunka panted.

Sure enough, up through the clearing I could see a massive castle. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my whole life. Torunka stopped walking, but I continued until he pulled on my wrist. "What is it?" I whispered.

"Look!" Torunka pointed to the front gate. A monkey-guy was standing out the front, gripping his sword tightly. "The entrance is blocked. We need to cause a distraction." Torunka piped.

"What would you suggest?" I asked.

Torunka just smiled and waved his staff in the direction of the guard. I looked on to see the guard's helmet and sword fly off in opposite directions as he ran off to go pick them up.

"Not what I was expecting..." I muttered as we reached the front gate unopposed.

"Luna is somewhere inside, I'm sure of it! Let's split up and start looking for her!" Torunka suggested.

"I don't even know what she looks like..." I murmured.

"She's the only other human in this world, you can't miss her." Torunka laughed.

"Right..." I chucked, before quickly regaining my composure. "But what about you? Will you be okay?" I asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tougher than I look. I'm really a distinguished spellcaster, see?" he smiled. "Oh here! I want you to have this." Torunka said before giving me his staff.

"Wh-why are you giving me this?" I asked.

"With this child-like body, I'm not as good as casting spells as I would be. I figured you'd have a better shot than I would." Torunka grinned.

"But I don't even know how this thing works!" I said, looking the staff over.

"Don't worry. I've imbued some of my magic into it. It'll do exactly what you need it so, so don't worry. Now let's start our search!" Torunka said dramatically. I expected him to move off, but he didn't. He just looked at me for a few seconds. "Um... by the way... what do they call you anyway?" Torunka asked sheepishly.

"My name's Tyler." I said.

"Tyler, you say? That's an interesting name. Well on that note," Torunka cleared his throat again. "Brave adventurer, Tyler! Let us begin our search!"

* * *

It had been at least an hour since Torunka and I split up to go find Luna. Amongst hiding from the guards and the patrols, I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of the castle. Although it was old, it still seemed to be in very good condition. I decided on clipping Torunka's staff to my Arcadia Uniform to prevent it from getting in the way, in case I had to use my hands for something.

"The last door..." I muttered. Since Torunka had gone off to cover the left side of the castle, and I was checking the right. I had gone through all other doors finding them empty or cluttered with guards, who I ended up knocking unconscious with Torunka's staff.

This door, like all the others, was locked, so I pulled out Torunka's staff and simply pointed it at the lock. The dark purple orb at the top of the staff began to glow as did the doorknob. I heard a click, which meant that the door was now unlocked. I turned the knob and opened the door with minimal effort. I looked in and saw a girl, about eleven years old standing far from the door. She wore a red shirt, with a pink jacket and purple shorts. Her green hair was parted and tied up at the sides of her head into two pigtails. She couldn't possibly be the person I'm supposed to rescue, could she?

"Uh, hello?" I called to the girl. Instantly, she turned to look at me. I could tell by her expression that she was expecting one of Zeman's guards and at the very least was relieved to see that it wasn't. "Is your name Luna?" I asked softly.

"Yes! You're human right?! Are you here to rescue me by any chance?!" the girl asked.

"Uh..." I stammered. "I think so. Torunka sent me and-"

"Then my words reached you! Thank you so much!" she smiled. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Tyler." I said.

"Well thanks a lot, Tyler!" Luna said. "You said you were with Torunka... Do you know if he's okay?" Luna asked.

I shook my head. "We split up to find you. He's covering the left side of the castle right now. We didn't organize to meet up anywhere when we found you, and-"

"Hey! Get your greasy paws off me! Don't you know who I am?" both Luna and I turned to the door where we heard Torunka yell.

"Sounds like he was alright until a few moments ago..." Luna muttered.

A guard came in, holding a struggling Torunka. "How did you get in?" he asked.

"Tyler!" Torunka shouted, relieved.

The guard pushed Torunka at Luna, causing them both to topple over, before the guard drew his sword and charged at me. I was able to parry most of his strikes with the staff, but not being used to such an irregular weapon certainly put me at a disadvantage. It was rather unfortunate that Torunka had only given me the power to unlock doors with his staff and not make these guy's heads explode or something.

"Tyler!" Luna and Torunka shouted in unison as they got to their feet.

The guard knocked the staff out of my grip as he cut into my hand with his sword. I screamed out in pain before using my duel disk to knock the sword away. Torunka grabbed his staff. "Eat this!" he yelled as he waved the staff at the guard, causing him to be thrown back against the wall, out cold. If only he could've made it so that I could do that, 'cause that would have made things so much easier for me.

"Tyler! Are you okay?" Luna asked.

"I-I'm fine..." I stammered, blood dripping from my hand.

"L-look, we should get out of here before more guards come!" Torunka suggested.

"Yeah, there are some things that I wanna talk about, but we should get out of here first." Luna agreed.

"Okay, let's stick together!" Torunka yelled as Luna and I followed him out of the room.

* * *

The three of us dropped to our knees in the town square, panting like crazy from all the running around we had to do to get out of that damn castle. Torunka had taken the lead to get us out, but we kept running into guards, which I was able to outrun with ease, while Luna and Torunka had a little bit of trouble of keeping up.

"Phew! Looks like we somehow made our way out of there!" Torunka panted.

"Yeah, no thanks to you..." Luna sighed. "Following you was the biggest mistake of my life!"

"What? What are you talking about? Didn't you see how perfectly my plan went? Getting captured on purpose and being taken to you... Isn't that just the best idea?" Torunka asked.

"What are you talking about? You were screaming for help back there!" Luna puffed her cheeks in protest. "The truth is, without you Tyler, we would've never escaped. Thanks Tyler." Luna smiled.

"No problem." I muttered, eying the dry blood on my hand from the cut.

"Your hand..." Luna muttered. "Torunka... can't you heal Tyler or something?"

"I wish I could, but with this small body..." Torunka trailed off.

"It's just a scratch... don't worry about it..." I mumbled. I looked around, silently observing the town. If Zeman's castle was to the north, and I entered the town from the south, then that meant that the way out of town would either be by going east or west. Of course, according to what Torunka had told me, the town had been thriving with life before Zeman came into power, so maybe...

"Tyler?" Luna asked, as I turned to her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm, um... I'm supposed to go meet up with someone named Regulus in the forest of Pojar... Would you mind coming along?" Luna asked. There was no way I was gonna turn her down and leave a little girl to wander around a forest alone, especially with the probability of Zeman's guards walking around trying to find us again.

"Of course I'll come along" I assured her.

"Thank you!" Luna grinned. "Let's get going right away."

"Well if you're coming with us, Tyler, then we've got nothing to worry about!" Torunka assured.

"Wait 'we'? You're coming too?" asked Luna, surprised.

"Of course! After all, I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll get us to the forest of Pojar in no time!" Torunka grinned.

"Well if your sense of direction is anything like it was trying to get out of Zeman's castle, maybe we'd be better off wearing blindfolds." I cracked a joke to lighten the mood, but it also did hold some truth to it. Luna giggled at my joke as we set off through the east of town towards the forest.

During the walk through the forest, I let my thoughts run freely. Sayer had brainwashed me and erased my memories... Did that mean that me and the other boy, Yusei Fudo, were close? He knew my name and I saw him with some others in those visions... But what if it was all a trick by Sayer... and what does Sayer even want with me? And what about Seria, Akiza, Okita and Liquid? What was their part in this? Were they in the same boat as me? Was everyone at the Arcadia Movement just a pawn in Sayer's game?

"Yahh!" a lion roared, breaking me out of my thoughts. I realized that we were now in the center of the forest of Pojar and facing a white lion with a mane of orange fur. A look of great abhor on his face.

"Regulus?" Torunka asked softly.

"You're Regulus? Then please listen to me! I made a promise to the Ancient Fairy Dragon that I would protect this world. That's why I came here!" Luna shouted.

Regulus turned his head sideways, but his look of anger did not disappear from his face.

"This girl came from another world to rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Torunka clarified. His words seemed to have no affect on Regulus. In fact, Regulus started growling and slowly advancing on us. Could this thing even understand what we were saying?

"Enough of your lies! You're only looking to use the Ancient Fairy Dragon for evil!" he hissed.

"Y-You can talk?!" I asked, nearly choking in surprise.

"We really aren't, Regulus..." Luna muttered.

"Liar! You seek to taint the will of the Ancient Fairy Dragon. I will not let you!" Regulus lunged at Luna.

Thinking quickly, I pushed Luna out of the way as Regulus attempted to pounce on her, trapping me beneath his paws. "Prepare to die, vile human!" Regulus yelled, raising one of his paws and extending the claws. I clenched my eyes tightly shut and waited for it all to be over, until I felt Regulus climb off of me.

I looked over at Luna, who still appeared to half-dazed, and then over at Torunka, who I discovered had fired a shot at Regulus' shoulder to get him off of me, and was now being chased by Regulus, trying to calm him down.

I ran over to Luna and shook her shoulder lightly. "Luna? Are you alright?" I asked.

Luna groaned slightly. "Tyler?" she asked.

I couldn't help but smile. "Sorry if I was a bit rough on you there. Regulus was gonna kill you." I straightened up, and gently helped Luna to her feet.

"Wh-what about..." Luna began. "Torunka!" Luna yelled.

I turned to see Torunka backed up against a tree, using his staff to fight off Regulus. "D-don't make me use th-this..." Torunka stuttered.

"Tyler! Look!" Luna pointed at one of Regulus' legs, which had a sharp object lodged into it. "Regulus is being affected by the Minus Staff!"

"Minus Staff?" I asked.

"They're used to reverse natural and unnatural phenomena in the Spirit World. If Regulus has been struck by one, he must not be seeing sense." Luna said worriedly.

"Then how do we make him see sense?" I asked.

"The Minus Staff will have to come out... but how are we-" I didn't hear anything else of what Luna said, as in that moment I had decided to charge at Regulus and just pull out the Minus Staff. Luckily, he was too distracted by Torunka to hear me approach him, so I was able to unlodge the Minus Staff in Regulus' back leg. But in reflex, he reared up and kicked my chest with that same leg, sending me into the air before abruptly crashing down.

"Tyler!" Luna yelled as she ran to my side. "Say something! Please!"

I cleared my throat, saying the first thing that popped into my head.

"I was nearly killed by a talking Lion!"

Luna sighed with relief as, for the most part, I was okay.

"Ugh! What happened...?" muttered Regulus. I got to my feet and saw that Regulus had a displeased look on his face.

"You...! The young signer girl," Regulus said, turning to Luna. "I have been waiting for you to come to this world." Signer?

"Regulus! You've regained your senses!" Luna smiled.

"And you..." Regulus said, turning to me. "You who has a special bond with the Ancient Fairy Dragon. I thank you for guiding this young girl to me." Regulus bowed his head. "I'm sorry for attacking you earlier..."

"No problem, Regulus!" I grinned.

"We can give 'I'm sorry' speeches later. Right now we've got to rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Torunka yelled.

Luna gasped. "Luna? Is something wrong?" I asked.

"I feel the danger closing in, in the real world..." Luna murmured.

"In that case, you should escape from the dangers in your world first. Torunka and I should be able to protect this world until you return." Regulus explained.

"Thank you so much! Please do all you can to save the Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna said.

"Wait, before you go..." Torunka said, reaching out and placing his staff in my hand. "This might come in handy for whatever dangers you face in your world." Torunka grinned. "I've used up the rest of my power so that you can use this staff as an offensive weapon. You just have to be careful with it, alright?"

I simply smiled at him. "I will, and thank you." The only person who was gonna be in danger was Sayer. I was gonna make him pay for fucking with my life!

"Tyler, I can help you get home..." Luna said. "Hold my hands and close your eyes." I clipped the staff to my Arcadia uniform and held Luna's hands in mine. They were quite smooth. "You're being held at the Arcadia Movement?" Luna muttered, as I sighed.

"Yeah, how did you-"

"My brother and I are too, can you come and rescue us?" Luna asked.

"Of course." I said again before I felt all of my senses fade away.


	6. The Great Escape – A Fateful Reunion

I gasped as my eyes shot wide open. I looked around and noticed I was in a holding cell. I was sweating like crazy, but my body felt fine, as if all the injuries I experienced in the Spirit World never happened. I walked over to the door and tried prying it off, but it wouldn't budge. "Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my fist against the door.

It was then that I saw it, Torunka's staff. It wasn't just a dream, I really did go to the Spirit World, and Sayer seems to have locked me up by the look of things. Without hesitation, I picked up the staff and pointed it at the door. The orb lit up, a ball of light appearing around it, before it shot forward and blew the door open, creating a small explosion.

"That was fucking awesome..." I muttered. I was definitely gonna give Sayer a piece of my mind with this. I had to get back to the task at hand though. I promised Luna that I'd come to rescue her and her brother. I peeked my head outside of the room and I noticed that every room on this floor seemed to be locked from the outside, as if this entire block was a prison. How this wasn't brought up by anyone at the Arcadia Movement was a mystery to me, but maybe no one else knew besides Sayer?

That wasn't important now. Luna had to be in one of these cells, and I had to get her out.

Just as I began to move, a sudden noise brought me to a standstill. "Hey! You there!" I heard a girl shout. It couldn't have been Luna, she sounded older, more mature. I looked around and noticed that she was pounding on the door of her cell. "You were in the room next to me right? I just heard your door open."

I remembered where I had seen this girl before. She was that reporter who I bumped into at the Fortune Cup. Carly, I think her name was. "Well however you did it, can you get me out too? Pretty please?" Carly asked.

I nodded. "Stand back." I ordered. Carly retreated to the back of the cell as I took aim with the staff and blasted the door open. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yup! I owe you one, thanks." Carly smiled. "Huh? I've got this funny feeling I've seen you before..." Carly muttered. "I've got it!" she said, snapping her fingers. "You were at the Fortune Cup!" she grinned, obviously very proud of herself for remembering. "But why would the Arcadia Movement throw one of their own duelists into a cell?" she asked herself out loud. Carly shook her head. "That doesn't matter right now. I've still got to find out how Goodwin is linked to the Arcadia Movement. Thanks a million!" Carly said, running off before I could convince her to stay with me. What a weird chick...

I cleared the block of cells, and Luna wasn't in any of them, but there was another block up ahead. I heard footsteps, so I hid behind one of the bronze statues that decorated the hallways of the Arcadia Movement and peeked my head out to see who it was.

Liquid?

There he was. But his eyes... they were different. As if he had no soul. He definitely wasn't like that before! Sayer must've gotten his hands on him! Now I had another reason to get even with Sayer!

I waited until Liquid had left, not risking revealing myself, to make my way across to the next batch of cells, and the elevator.

"Tyler? Is that you?" I heard a voice ask.

Luna... I turned around and saw her look out at me from the confines of her cell. "It's me, Luna. I'm so glad you came! Thank you so much!"

"No problem." I smiled. "Stand back! I don't want you to get hurt." I ordered. Luna nodded and just as Carly had done, went to the back of the cell as I aimed the staff squarely at the door and blew it off. When the smoke cleared, I saw that Luna had used her arms to shield herself from whatever debris would've afflicted her. I walked up to her. "You okay?" I asked, offering my hand to help her up, which she took.

"I am... thank you..." Luna smiled. "This... this is our first time meeting in the real world isn't it?" Luna asked. I nodded and she laughed. "First you save me in the Spirit World, and now in the real world too. It's starting to look like you're becoming my personal bodyguard..." she muttered, looking down.

"Luna!" I heard someone shout behind me. I turned around and saw two people. One was a rather muscular man with spiky green hair. The other was a fairly old man with shaggy grey hair.

"How'd you guys find me?" Luna asked.

"We saw the explosions." the old man said as I hooked the staff back into my uniform.

"Who's this?" the muscular man said, pointing to me.

"He's Tyler. He helped me in the Spirit World, he's the one who unlocked my cell." Luna clarified.

"Unlocked your cell? But he's wearing the uniform, it could be a trap. He might be working for Sayer." the muscular man said.

"Sayer tried to brainwash me into his cult of lunatics." I said coldly. "He took away my memories and left me with a false hope." I said. Yes, I was being a downer, but it was true. I sighed resting my arm along the clear wall of Luna's cell... wait... clear wall? That's glass! I looked and saw a young boy, probably about the same age as Luna, lying unconscious on the floor. "Luna? Is that-"

"Leo!" the muscular man said. He looked around for a split second and grabbed the chair nearest to the glass. "All right, stand back you three." The man held the chair high above his head as I walked back from the glass and watched as he swung the chair at the glass. It shattered instantly.

The muscular man walked through where he broke the glass and shook the kid, Leo's, shoulders. "Leo! Leo!"  
the man said.

Leo groaned. "Huh? Is it Christmas already?" he asked.

"How do you feel? Are you hurt? What happened?" the muscular man asked as he helped Leo to his feet.

"I dueled Sayer..." Leo muttered. "I got schooled..." Leo said somberly. My fists tightened. Leo's eyes widened. "Where's Luna? Is she okay?" Leo panicked.

"I'm right in front of you!" Luna sighed.

"There you are! I'm so glad you're safe." Leo hugged Luna tightly.

"It's not like I'm helpless without you, you know." Luna sighed again.

Leo broke the hug. "So... uh... who's this?" Leo motioned to me.

"That's Tyler. He kept me safe while I was in the Spirit World." Luna said.

"You went to the Spirit World?" Leo asked.

Luna nodded. "After we got captured by Sayer, I went to see Regulus, but I got captured by Zeman. Luckily, Tyler saved me. I felt something awful happening in this world, so I came back." It was at that point I noticed Luna's arm. It had some kind of flashing symbol on it.

"Luna, what's up with your arm?" I asked.

"It's a long story..." Luna sighed.

"Luna's a Signer! Pretty cool huh?" Leo grinned. Signer... Wasn't Regulus saying something about that before?

"Yusei!" Luna shouted.

Everyone, including myself, turned to the doorway and that same spiky-haired young man who made frequent appearances in my visions was standing right there. My breathing elevated, but not as much as it did during our first meeting. I was able to keep myself calm as I reminded myself that my stress was probably just an after-effect of whatever Sayer had done to me.

"Luna! Leo! Are you two alright?" Yusei asked. As soon as his eyes met mine, his eyes widened. "Tyler!? You're okay! You had everyone worried when you disappeared like that!" Yusei said.

I just looked at him, puzzled. I had this rising urge to just break down in front of him. I had no way to describe how it felt to not know the person in front of me, and I had no idea what to say to him regarding my situation. I just killed me inside. "Yusei... How do you remember me?" I asked. I probably could've phrased my question better, but I asked what I needed to, and that probably helped him understand where I was coming from.

Yusei gasped. "Tyler... what happened to you?" he asked. Without thinking twice I went ahead and told Yusei everything, at least the stuff I knew. I thought that Yusei might be able to help me get my memories back, or at least fill in the blanks.

"You were brainwashed?" Yusei asked, once I finished explaining everything to him.

"Really!? But even so... how come?" Leo asked.

"I get it!" Luna shouted, causing all of us to turn to her. "Tyler, like me, has a connection to the Spirit World. That's probably why they were after him and were keeping me hostage and trying to figure out if Leo had similar powers to me. And I could've been brainwashed..." Luna lowered her head quickly before darting her eyes quickly back and forward between Yusei and I.

"By the way, Yusei. You and Tyler know each other?" Luna asked.

Yusei nodded. "We're old friends from the Satellite." Friends... "How do you know Tyler, Luna?" Yusei asked.

"Tyler rescued me from the Spirit World." Luna said.

"You don't say..." Yusei muttered before turning to me. "I never knew you had that kind of power." Yusei smiled. "We sure have a lot to talk about, but before all of that, we should probably get out of here."

"Finally!" the old man said, before grabbing Leo's wrist and heading out of the room, with the muscular man in pursuit.

"I came here to help Akiza, but now is obviously not the time. Here." Yusei reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards and placing them gently in my hands. "When I saw you with the uniform on, and that dead look in your eyes, I knew something was up."

"What are these?" I asked, confused.

"That's your deck. I was keeping it for you." Yusei stood opposite me, silent for a while. "Maybe it'll help you uncover your memories." Yusei smiled.

"Thank you..." I muttered.

"Look, I've got to get going. Try and get the others to safety." Yusei said, at which I nodded. Yusei ran out of the room, leaving only Luna and I.

"We'd better get going too. C'mon Tyler!" Luna hyped before we both headed out the door.

"Well, well... What do we have here?" I turned around and saw him, that auburn-haired man who had caused me so much pain and suffering, so much doubt. "I heard someone was snooping around. I didn't expect you both to get out."

I was deeply suppressing my rage. I didn't want to explode and go off at someone in front of a child... even though he took away my memories and made me his slave.

"You two hold the keys to the Spirit World. There is no way I'd let you slip through my fingers!" Sayer smirked. I make sure that all trespassers are dealt with accordingly. I'll let these two deal with you." Sayer said, walking to the side and revealing Liquid and Okita.

"Yes Sayer..." Liquid and Okita said in unison. "All will be as you desire..." they said without any kind of soul in their voices.

"Guys! Snap out of it!" I shouted.

Sayer laughed. "You fool! These two no longer have minds of their own. Their full psychic powers have been unleashed, and I've given them new decks to deal with the likes of you."

"You monster!" I yelled. "They're human beings! You can't treat them like this!" I shouted.

"Don't stress yourself, Tyler." Sayer said calmly. "Soon enough, you will also be under my command. You and the girl..." Sayer's facial expression darkened as he walked off.

"Anyone who opposes Sayer must be destroyed" Liquid and Okita said. "Prepare to duel!" both powered on their duel disks.

"Looks like we have no choice. Do you think they'll snap out of it if we win?" Luna asked.

"I'm really not sure..." I muttered as I replaced the deck Sayer gave me, with the one Yusei gave me. "But I will not be controlled!" I yelled, turning my Duel Disk on. I would do everything in my power to protect Luna and make sure that she didn't have to befall the same fate that I did.

"R-Right..." Luna muttered, powering her Duel Disk on.

"Duel!"

* * *

I watched intently as Liquid and Okita got to their feet, eyes tightly shut. If they were still under Sayer's control, I'd have to forget about holding back. "T-Tyler?" Liquid asked. "What's going on?"

"You two were being controlled by Sayer." Luna clarified.

"We were being controlled?" Okita asked.

"Hmmm... That explains what those devices must've been in the laboratory." Liquid muttered.

"But to think this is really an evil organization..." Okita mumbled. "You know what? I don't want to stay in this place a second longer!" Okita hammered.

"Agreed." Liquid joined in.

"Thank goodness! The brainwashing has worn off!" Luna sighed.

"Thanks for saving us, but we should really get out of here." Liquid said as both he and Okita began to take their leave. "What about you, Tyler? You coming?" Liquid asked.

I shook my head. "There's still something I've got to do..." I muttered.

"Well okay, take care!" Okita said as he and Liquid disappeared down the stairwell.

At that, I just began walking towards Sayer's office. "T-Tyler! Where are you going?" Luna asked, making me stop in my tracks.

"Sayer's office..." I muttered. "I'm gonna pay him a little visit..."

"Wh-what are-"

"Go catch up with the others... I'll be alright..." I muttered. Turning back to Luna, I saw her nod and head down the opposite stairwell. I looked up at the ceiling and walked into the elevator and headed to the place where I knew I'd find Sayer.

* * *

"Sayer! Come out! I know you're here!" I yelled, standing in the middle of his office.

"And I thought I had you under wraps..." Sayer chuckled, stepping out from behind the bronze statue.

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled.

"It seems that even psychic duels can't wear you down... which is surprising since you lost to-"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm tired of this bullshit!" I yelled, clenching my fists.

"Looks like someone needs a lesson in manners..." Sayer muttered. "Violence is not my policy, but..." Sayer drew a card from his deck. "I think it's the only way to deal with you!" he slid the card into his duel disk and a fireball materialized above his head. "Take this!" Sayer yelled as the fireball flew towards me.

I unhooked the staff from my uniform and deflected the blast back in Sayer's direction. "What in the-". Fortunately for me, Sayer couldn't dodge in time and was sent to the ground, unconscious and horribly burnt.

I walked up to him slowly, to make sure he didn't make any sudden moves. I bent down next to him. Sayer wasn't breathing. In an instant, I was overcome with something which I couldn't describe. "You bastard..." I muttered, tipping Sayer over onto his back. I could've easily killed him there and then with the staff, and his face was already disfigured. But even with all that, I wanted to do something... more... permanent. I guess now that he was unconscious, my lust for his death had vanished, and I wasn't really sure what to make of that.

With the other end of the staff, I began to carve many obscenities and profanity into his head. The degree of his burns meant that they would never heal, so as long as he lived, he would constantly be reminded that he was nothing but scum. When I was finished, I smiled proudly at my work, as I sucked in some of my saliva and then spat onto Sayer's face. "Cunt..." I muttered, as I got up and planted my foot down on his head, rubbing the spill into his face with my boot.

"I don't know what happened!" I heard a woman shout. The noise came down below me. I kicked Sayer in the face before I walked over to the railing. I don't know how, but I could tell that a duel was going on underneath me. Akiza was in danger... I could just feel it. I quickly rushed into the nearest elevator and went one floor down.

As the elevator door opened, I looked in awe at what appeared to be a roman-style colosseum. Akiza was dueling! "Akiza!" I shouted, running towards her.

"It's your move, Misty..." Akiza muttered. It was then that I noticed Akiza's opponent. She was fairly attractive. She had long, flowing black hair and wore a tight top that, like Akiza's, left little to the imagination. The weird thing that struck me was... her eyes... They were as black as the night, but her iris' were blue. She also had a mark on her arm like Luna did, only this girl's was purple.

"What have we got here?" the black-haired girl asked. "Another one of your Arcadia buddies has come to bail you out?"

Akiza turned to me. "Tyler?"

"Do you know what kind of organization you're really in?" the girl asked me. "Do you know how many lives have been taken because you and your kind play these twisted little games?"

"I-" I stammered.

"No, you wouldn't. You people don't care for anyone other than yourselves. My draw!" I watched as the girl picked up her card and slid it into her Duel Disk. "I'm activating the Reptile Spawn Spell card. By removing a reptile from my Graveyard, I get to summon two Reptile Tokens! But they won't be sticking around for long, since I'm sacrificing them to summon the Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua!" she shouted.

"Earthbound what?" I muttered. I looked to the other side of the building and saw Luna, Leo, the muscular man and the old man. I looked back just in time and saw a multicolored ball of energy breeze past me.

"What is this?" Akiza asked.

"My Earthbound Immortal is absorbing the spirits of New Domino City's citizens. But don't worry, you're all safe in here." the girl smirked. "For now..."

Everything went eerily quiet for half a minute, until Akiza piped up. "What gives? Where's this monster? You did just summon one didn't you?" Akiza asked.

"Oh I summoned one alright. Turn around Akiza..." the girl muttered.

Akiza and I both turned around slowly to face the window, but all I could see was blackness. That is, until a giant green eye appeared outside the window.

"Aahh! What? What is that?!" Akiza gasped, her hands shakily covering her mouth as she spoke. We both looked up at the ceiling. Cracks were appearing along the walkway, and a faint scream could be heard. We looked out to beyond the balcony, and for a split second I swore I saw Sayer's body plummeting to the ground. I snickered. Guess Sayer was gonna die after all. There was no way he would survive a fall like this...

"Sayer! No!" Akiza yelled at the top of her lungs.

"The building won't hold much longer. I guess we'll have to finish this another time, witch." Akiza's opponent cried.

I watched as Akiza's opponent jumped off the balcony and seemingly into the abyss. I turned to Akiza, who was now on her knees, crying. "Sayer... Sayer... Sayer..." she mumbled to herself over and over again.

"Akiza, we've got to get out of here!" I insisted as I saw Luna and the others head down the stairwell.

"N-no! Not without Say... Sayer..." Akiza muttered, her eyes focused on where she had seen Sayer fall. Akiza seemed to fall into a state of hysterics as she called out Sayer's name over and over again. I couldn't just leave her to die as the building collapsed, so I walked up to her, bent down, draped her arms over my shoulders and picked her up. Surprisingly, she wasn't that heavy. I just had to focus while heading down the stairs, as to not lose my footing.

Akiza's cries for Sayer slowly grew quieter as I made my way down the steps until I reached the end, where Akiza was almost completely silent.

I hadn't noticed it before, but as I got outside the Arcadia Movement building, I saw that most of the city was in ruins. Buildings were cracked and broken, and odd purple flames seemed to spout from the water fountain. I heard Akiza groan softly in my arms. I looked around for Luna and the others. The muscular man and the old guy weren't anywhere to be seen, but Leo and Luna were huddled together tightly near a bench.

I took a deep breath and walked over to them. "Hey guys, what's up?" I asked.

"Tyler?" Luna asked, looking up at me. "Oh, thank goodness you're safe!" she sighed. "Is Akiza going to be alright?"

"I'm not sure... She seems pretty shaken up... We've got to get her to a hospital right away!" I said as both Leo and Luna nodded. I heard the sound of a Duel Runner screeching in the distance, but it seemed to be getting closer. As we all turned around, a white Duel Runner with a circular seat came to a stop beside us.

"Jack!" Leo cried eagerly.

"What happened here? I saw the purple lights and-" Jack stopped as he took off his helmet and his eyes met mine. "Tyler!? You're alive?!" he asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Tyler, it's me Jack..." he paused. "From the Satellite... remember?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I think I've seen you before. You battled that guy Yusei in the Fortune Cup, didn't you?" I asked.

"Tyler... What happened to you?" Jack asked softly.

"I was kidnapped by Sayer to join his Arcadia Movement. He brainwashed me and erased my memories. I managed to escape... now Sayer's dead... that's about it..." I muttered.

Jack gasped. "Well at least you're alive. You had everyone quite worried." he smiled, until he looked down at Akiza.

"We've got to get her to a hospital, but there might be others still in there." I said.

"What? Others? Who?" Jack asked.

"A few of my Arcadia friends. They aren't with Sayer anymore. Plus this chick with an orange vest, blue shirt and thick glasses." I clarified.

"Carly..." Jack muttered before putting his helmet back on and jumping onto his Runner.

"Jack? Where are you going?" Leo asked.

"To rescue Carly! Get Akiza to the East District hospital. It should be a short walk from here!" Jack ordered as his Runner roared to life and he sped into the Arcadia building.

I heard Akiza sigh again. "Let's go..." I muttered.


	7. A Locked Heart's Door

The computer continued to beep to a steady rhythm as doctors continued to inspect Akiza, who was now hooked up to some sort of life-support equipment. Leo, Luna and I stood outside the operating room, but we could still see inside.

"Poor Akiza..." Luna muttered, before turning to me. "Tyler, do you think we were brought together for a reason?" Luna asked. "I mean, Jack, Yusei, Akiza and I... we're all Signers and-" Luna was cut off as footsteps echoed down the hallway, as a couple appeared.

They both looked to be in their early to mid forties. The woman had the same colored-hair as Akiza and was dressed in a blue skirt and top. The man had brown hair, side-burns and a beard, and was dressed in some formal clothing. "Akiza... my little girl..." I heard the woman mutter as she put her hands up against the glass panel.

The doctors left the room and the automatic door opened as the couple ran to them. "Doctor!" the man said. "Will our daughter pull through?" he asked.

"Please, she's all we have..." the woman added. These two are Akiza's parents?! Well that would make sense. I could see the resemblance between Akiza and the older woman.

One of the doctors sighed, before the other answered. "I... think it would be best if we talked inside..." the doctor said, motioning for the couple to follow him back in, as they did.

I couldn't hear what was going on, but it must've been something bad, because the woman burst into tears before laying her hands over Akiza's bedside. I heard footsteps and I turned, seeing Jack was now by my side.

"How is she?" Jack asked softly.

"She's stable... The doctor says that Akiza's in a coma because of some trauma..." I muttered. "Was there anyone else at the Arcadia building?" I asked.

Jack's expression darkened. "N-no... No people, just..." he trailed off. Would that mean...? Okita... Liquid... And then... The only people left who I have memories of now are Luna and Akiza. I can't... I won't let anything happen to them!

"We gotta help... If there's something wrong the doctors can't fix, maybe we could use our Signer powers. Like with telepathy or something. Would that work, Jack?" Luna asked.

"If Akiza's got some sort of broken heart, it's gonna take a lot more than telepathy." Jack said bluntly. "She needs someone who knows the true Akiza. And with Sayer dead, it looks like we're out of options..." The true Akiza... Was that the Akiza that dueled me? Or is it someone else? "Unless he might help her..." Jack muttered, walking towards the door as it opened and he met with the doctors.

Leo and Luna just looked at each other with puzzled expressions. I was still struggling to get over the fact that Akiza's parents were in the room over from us. To me, it was pretty weird that they would show up all of a sudden. When Leo, Luna and I went to check Akiza into the hospital, the receptionist informed us that Akiza didn't have any emergency contacts listed. So how could they have known that Akiza was in an accident?

...And where was Yusei?

This weird, completely inexplicable thought ran through my head, spoken by a voice that wasn't mine, and that I didn't recognize. I found myself becoming lost as I walked through the automatic door to meet with Jack, the doctor and Akiza's parents.

"Tyler?" Jack asked.

For some reason or another, I ignored him and walked over to Akiza's bedside and peered down at her. She was dead silent. None of the occasional groans like before. "Akiza..." I began to speak, though it was as if some other force was speaking for me. "Okita told me that... when I was hurt, you came to see me. I guess that, as I am now, you're one of the few people I can talk to. I mean, I... I know I haven't known you for that long, but... I think I understand. That girl you were dueling... Misty?" I took a deep breath, before exhaling sharply. "She said that you did something that you can't recall? Well I'm the same." I stopped once more, feeling constricted as whatever it was inside of me that was making open up to an unconscious Akiza was also making want to just break down. "All I can do is live through the words of others, and just... just pray that what I'm doing is..."

I knew I couldn't continue talking for fear of making an even bigger ass of myself. I just talking and closed my eyes, only opening them when I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder.

"Jack?" I asked.

"I didn't just come from the Arcadia Movement. I went and got you this..." Jack said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a device before placing it in my hands.

"Wh-what is this?" I asked.

"It's your phone. It's got some music on it. Maybe if you listen to it, it'll help you remember..." Jack muttered, before giving me a pair of white earphones.

I looked down at the phone, and then back at Jack. "Yeah, I... I think I need that..." I muttered, shakily moving away from Akiza's bed as I avoided the confused expressions of Akiza's parents and went back out to join Luna and Leo.

"Tyler, what happened?" Leo asked.

"You're crying!" Luna added.

"No, it's just... um... the air conditioner in there... it's blowing directly into my face and it's making my eyes water... I'm fine, seriously." The strange thing was, now that I was out of that room, I was fine. The weird thoughts I had in my head were gone, as if I hadn't even gone in there. Of course I now had something which I needed to look at: a connection to who I was. "I just need to let my thoughts out for a while." I said, plugging the headset into my ears and turning the phone on.

I found my way to my music. And I was surprised at the songs I had. Most of them were all anti-life and depressing, with the ones that weren't few and far between. One of the songs even talked about a man contemplating suicide because he couldn't handle the monotony of life anymore. Was that how I felt? I gasped as my phone beeped, notifying me that I had 112 new messages. Against my inhibitions, I checked them. A few oddball ones here and there, but most of the messages I got were from two people named Joel and Taze. With the most recent message dating back to around three years ago... But those names...

I saw a younger version of myself sitting in my room opposite a boy. He looked about eight years old and had buzz cut orange hair. He was strumming a guitar and I was... singing along? I smiled as I looked at the expression I had on my face. I couldn't recognize the song that I was singing, but that didn't matter, I was enjoying myself, both in the past and the present.

As the music began to fade, I saw myself in my room again, with the same boy, only this time, we were both a little older. I was writing on a piece of paper at my desk, but I couldn't get a look at what I was writing. "Are you sure about this?" the kid asked the younger me as he peered over his shoulder.

"Yes. This time I'm gonna do it!" I heard the younger me say.

"This is... what? The third time in a month you've done this?" said the other kid. "You're just gonna get on your scooter, ride around the block and then come back home."

"Taze, can you please stop being a douche?" I asked.

"I'm serious. You're overreacting. Can't you see that?"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had to live with him!"

"Dude, he's family!" Taze insisted.

The younger me just snapped. "The blood that runs through his veins is not the same blood that runs through mine! We are NOT family!"

Taze seemed to stare at the younger me with a look of shock and distain, silence enveloping the room. Eventually, he sighed. "Fine... You do what you need to do then." Taze then turned and left the room without saying another word. I watched as the younger me got up out of his seat and pull a map of some kind out from underneath his bed, before spreading the map out on the bed.

"The only way out... is to run away..."

Those were last words I heard myself say as I suddenly found myself back in the hospital. I blinked and stared down at my phone. I could feel sweat on my forehead. Another vision... They couldn't all be connected, could they? I mean, the first one seemed so happy and positive, and the next was just so-

"Yusei!" Leo shouted. I looked up and saw Yusei walking towards us with Akiza's father close behind him.

"Hey guys..." Yusei muttered. I got up off the tile floor as Jack, Leo, Luna, Akiza's father and I followed Yusei inside to where Akiza was still lying comatose on her bed. It looked like she had been crying. Yusei calmly approached the bed as the rest of us stood back. "It's me..." Yusei muttered as he took his right hand out of his glove to wipe Akiza's tears away.

Almost instantly, both Akiza's and Yusei's Signer Marks lit up and Akiza opened her eyes slowly. "Yusei? What happened to me?" she asked softly.

"Akiza!" her father yelled. As Akiza turned to face him, her eyes widened.

"What are they doing here?" Akiza asked angrily. "In case you didn't know, I've got a new family! Sayer's all I need now!" Akiza shouted.

"Akiza..." I muttered. "Sayer is-" It was as if she knew what I was going to say. Her eyes widened and she clutched her head in agony.

"I remember... he's dead isn't he? Sayer... he was all... all I had left..." Akiza murmured to herself, tears in her eyes. "He was more a father to me than you ever were!" Akiza yelled, turning to her father. "This is all your fault!"

"It was the Dark Signers-"

"Stay out of this, Yusei!" Akiza ordered. "That stranger over there ruined my life!" Akiza's demeanor suddenly changed. She became quiet but more agitated. "Where am I supposed to go now?" she asked. "There is nothing left for me but a home in ruin... and another father whose life was taken... If you're trying to erase the past, don't bother!" Akiza wavered, pushing Yusei out of the way and grabbing her Duel Disk, slotting it over her arm.

"Akiza..." I muttered.

"I think I'll erase you from my memories as well!" Akiza yelled at Yusei.

"Akiza please... don't do this..." her father pleaded.

"Look, I know this is hard to take in." Yusei began, "so if you need to duel to find out who your friends are, then I'm right here... we all are."

"Friends?!" Akiza scoffed. "You mean you Signers?! From the moment I've met you, I've had my life completely torn apart thanks to that wretched mark on my arm... and that's no one's fault, but your own." Akiza vented as Yusei stepped back, gasping, but quickly regaining his composure.

"Akiza please, let us help you!" Yusei insisted.

"No! You all wanna destroy my life!" Akiza shouted as she drew a card and threw it into her Duel Disk, causing a cyclone to appear and effortlessly blow the medical equipment and bedding away. "I won't let that happen!" she yelled as the aftershock from the blast sent Leo flying back into Jack, and Luna flying into me. Luckily, both Jack were strong enough to keep ourselves upright and also stop the kids from stumbling over.

"Akiza!" her father yelled.

"It looks like there's only one way for me to protect your family and prove that we're all trying to help you!" Yusei shouted.

"Enough talk!" Akiza yelled.

"Duel!"

[Yusei: 4000 LP]  
[Akiza: 4000 LP]

"I'll go first. I summon Evil Thorn!" Akiza shouted. "Since I can't attack on the first turn, I'll activate its effect and release it to deal 300 points of damage to you!" Akiza shouted as the shrub that had just appeared on the field exploded and shrapnel was sent flying into Yusei as he was knocked over.

[Yusei: 3700 LP]

"Yusei!" Luna shouted, concerned.

"Jack, it's the first turn and Yusei's already taken damage from Akiza's powers!" Leo ranted.

"And I think more pain is coming..." Jack muttered.

I just stood there. Motionless, fists clenched tightly. This wasn't really happening, was it? When I dueled Akiza, she almost killed me without even trying. Now she was purposely trying to inflict as much pain as possible.

"You should know that when one Evil Thorn is destroyed, two more take its place." [DEF: 300] "Next, I'll activate a Spell Card called Closed Plant Gate!" Akiza yelled as vines appeared and wrapped around both of Akiza's monsters.

"Oh no!" Jack cried.

"Don't worry." I said calmly. "Akiza can't use the special abilities of her Thorns yet."

"Indeed." Akiza chimed. "That's why I activated my Spell Card. It prevents my monsters from being destroyed next round. Your turn, have fun..." Akiza smirked.

"I'm not, I'm trying to help you! I summon Shield Warrior!" Yusei yelled as the knight appeared, before crouching down and keeping his spear at his side [DEF: 1600]

"Shield Warrior's great but he can't even attack!" Leo growled.

"I'll finish by placing two cards face-down. Your turn!" Yusei said.

"Your defense won't save you..." Akiza muttered. "Not from my Twilight Rose Knight!" she yelled as the blue-haired warrior appeared before going into its battle stance. [ATK: 1000] "Since he's on the field, I can bring my Dark Verger out as well!" [ATK: 0]

"Those four monsters..." Yusei muttered.

Leo began counting on his fingers. "Two Evil Thorns, plus what else?" Leo asked.

"Dark Verger..." Luna muttered.

"Plus her Rose Knight..." I added.

"Equals Black Rose Dragon." Jack finished.

"I know you think you know me..." Akiza muttered. "That by dueling you'll reach the good Akiza... But she doesn't exist anymore... She's dead! Just like Sayer! Now watch as chilling flames engulf the entire world. And the pitch-dark flower is set into bloom! I Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza yelled as she flung her hand to the sky as the all-too-familiar red dragon appeared behind her. [ATK: 2400].

The dragon flapped its wings, as Leo, Jack, Luna and I braced ourselves. "This duel isn't about winning or losing anymore!" Jack croaked. "This is a battle of life and death!"

"Next, I'll equip my dragon with Thorn Of Malice, increasing its attack power by 600!" Akiza yelled as weeds and thorns erected out of the Black Rose Dragon's body [ATK: 3000].

"Please... don't..." Akiza's father muttered.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" Akiza screamed. "You treated me like a monster... Well guess what? Now I'm behaving like one... that's who I am..."

"No you're not!" Yusei argued.

"It's a little late for you to try and help me, Yusei." Akiza laughed. "I thought you really believed in me, but it was all about my mark. You don't care about me, not at all! No one does!"

"That's not true!" I shouted, causing Akiza to look at me. "I saved you from the collapsing Arcadia Building because I care about you! We're all here at the hospital because we care about you!"

"No! You all just want me to join in the fight against the Dark Signers!" Akiza shouted. "You don't care about me!"

"I do, but even if I didn't, I know that you cared about me..." I said bluntly, causing Akiza's eyes to widen and everyone to face me. "When... you injured me during our duel, you were genuinely concerned. It was Sayer who told you not to worry, it was Sayer who-"

"Don't you dare talk bad about Sayer!" Akiza screeched.

It was at that moment I snapped. I didn't care that I was in the presence of two young children, or an older married couple. I didn't care that I was a little bit messed up from everything that was happening. I couldn't hold myself back. "I'll talk about him however I fucking want to, you got that?!" I yelled hoarsely.

Akiza, as well as everyone else in the room, gasped. "How dare-"

"No! How dare YOU!" I cut Akiza off. "Sayer took everything from me! He took away my memories and tried to turn me into one of his slaves! He did the same to Liquid! And Okita! And guess what? Now they're DEAD!" I shouted. "At least you know who your family is, and they are right here! And they want you to stop this! You think you've got it bad? I don't even know who my family is!" I didn't want to play the guilty card, but it seemed like I didn't have a choice.

I was able to calm myself down slightly, and once some of the tension in the room died down, I continued. "You say that your family doesn't love you, but if they didn't love you then they wouldn't be here..." I muttered.

I expected Akiza to change. To do something unexpected. Perhaps I had my hopes set too high, or perhaps she ended up doing exactly what I had expected without even realizing. "I'm removing one of my Evil Thorns from play to force Shield Warrior into attack mode and reduce his power to zero." Akiza said calmly.

"Looks like your prayer's fallen on deaf ears..." Jack muttered as Shield Warrior was forced into attack mode. It was then that I decided to just shut up, 'cause I wasn't helping. [ATK: 0]

"Attack now!" Akiza shouted.

Yusei flung out his hand. "I'm activating Realized Defense! This forces Shield Warrior back into Defense Position." [DEF: 1600]

"That doesn't matter..." Akiza muttered. "Black Rose Dragon still inflicts piercing damage!" Akiza's dragon shot a thorn out and clipped Shield Warrior, cutting Yusei's cheek. "Luckily for you, Thorn of Malice won't let me destroy your monster in battle. Instead, it weakens its defense abilities." [Shield Warrior: DEF: 1000].

[Yusei: 2300 LP]

"Oh no!" cried Luna. "With Yusei's monster not firing on all cylinders, Akiza's gonna blast away his Life Points next round!"

"I end my turn..." Akiza muttered before looking firmly at Yusei. "Don't think that I'm gonna make this quick. I'm going to make you suffer..."

"Akiza..." Yusei murmured. "I know you're scared. But that mark on your arm, it means you're not alone. We're all in this thing together."

"Don't bother, Yusei. Stop trying to reach me. I get it. You're the good guy, you like saving people. But you can't save me, no one can. Not now, only one person really got me. Really tried to help me. Only one person understood me." Akiza looked on, clearly pained. "Dad doesn't, you don't. Just Sayer, and he's dead." Akiza clenched her fists. "With him gone, there is no place left that I can call home. It's just me... And I don't feel like talking about it." she said with a snark.

"You do have a home." Yusei insisted. "You've always had a home. With your family."

"A home? With the ones who sent me away?" Akiza asked, pulling her hairpin out. "I don't think so! My real family is gone!" she yelled as fierce wind brewed and cracked the windows behind me and scaring my cheek as Yusei's did.

"My turn!" Yusei drew. "I activate Reinforced Truth! By skipping my Battle Phase, I can Special Summon my Speed Warrior from my Deck!" [ATK: 900]. "Next, I summon Junk Synchron!" [ATK: 1300] The two metallic warriors posed together. "Finally, I'll tune my monsters together and summon, Stardust Dragon!"

I watched in awe as the silver dragon appeared behind Yusei, roaring in appreciation of being summoned. [ATK: 2500] It was as if I could understand exactly what Stardust Dragon was saying...

"Cool move..." Leo began. "But Black Rose has more attack power than Stardust. If it attacks, Stardust Dragon won't survive, and neither will Yusei."

"Your move, Akiza!" Yusei shouted.

"You think that your dragon will protect you?" Akiza smirked. "You'll just make it suffer, but who am I to deny it that?" Akiza laughed. "Black Rose, attack!"

We watched as both Yusei and his dragon was struck by Akiza's. [Yusei: 1800 LP]

"Unfortunately for you, Thorn Of Malice will continually allow me to weaken Stardust Dragon with every successful attack." [Stardust Dragon: ATK: 1900]

I gasped as thorns from the Black Rose Dragon fired at us. I couldn't let the kids get hurt, so I got up in front of Leo and Luna, ready to deflect the blow. This was however unneeded, as Stardust Dragon used its wings to block the thorns from striking us.

"I don't like her when she's mad!" Luna cried.

"Akiza, please! Stop this!" Akiza's father pleaded.

"Not a chance... dad..." Akiza grinned sadistically. "It's your move, Yusei..."

"Then I'm activating the Half Shut Spell Card! I can cut the attack of a monster in half, but in return, it can't be destroyed until the start of next round. I choose Black Rose Dragon!" Yusei yelled, pointing at the purple-red behemoth. [Black Rose Dragon: ATK: 1500]

"All right!" Leo cheered. "Now Stardust is more powerful and has the upper hand."

"Stardust Dragon! Attack!" Yusei yelled as an array of stars erupted from the dragon's mouth and hit the Black Rose Dragon squarely in its chest. Akiza didn't even flinch.

[Akiza: 3600 LP]

"Was that supposed to scare me?" Akiza asked.

"I'll place two cards face-down!" Yusei said, ignoring Akiza.

"You'll need them, especially since my Black Rose Dragon now returns to full power!" Akiza smirked. [ATK: 3000]. "Attack Stardust Dragon now!" Akiza's dragon happily complied as it used its thorns to whip both Yusei and his dragon several times over.

[Yusei: 700 LP]  
[Stardust Dragon: ATK: 1300]

"I'll place one card face-down and end my turn..." Akiza muttered.

"Then I'll just place one card face-down as well." Yusei said.

"What's up?" Akiza taunted. "No big speech? Have you run out of things to say and do?" Akiza asked. "I thought you were gonna save me. Given up on me already, like everyone else?"

"Not a chance." Yusei replied. "You can try to push me away all you want, but you should know by now that I'll never give up on you. I won't do that. That's not me. No matter what happens to me, I never give up on my friends!" shouted Yusei, his voice full of determination. Was that why he sounded so concerned when he first saw me at the Duel Runner track? That he continually wanted to help me?

"I'm your friend?" Akiza asked.

"That's what I'm trying to show you. That's why I won't give up on this duel." Yusei said.

"You're only saying this to make me stop..." Akiza murmured. "I'm no fool, I know what you're doing. I'll surrender, say I'm sorry, everyone'll hug." Akiza's tone sharpened. "And then you'll just ship me off somewhere! I won't let you do that to me... I won't... Black Rose Dragon, attack!"

As if for the hundredth time today, Black Rose Dragon leapt into action, directing it's thorns at Yusei and his dragon. However, as I looked on, Akiza's father ran out to the field and stood in front of Yusei.

"Stop this, Akiza! Stop hurting people more than you already have!" he yelled.

"Out of the way!" Yusei insisted, but Akiza's father stood his ground, preparing for the worst. "I activate my Trap Card, Defense Draw! I can negate your Black Rose Dragon's attack and draw one card from my Deck." A transparent shield materialized around Yusei and Akiza's father, protecting both of them from harm, before dissolving.

"I'm sorry, Akiza. I know I wasn't as good a father as-" Akiza's father began.

"Save it! It's too little, too late." Akiza said bluntly.

"I admit it. I was scared of your power, I was scared of you... I didn't understand your abilities..."

"That's why you decided to get rid of me. You were scared, scared of your little girl." Akiza smirked.

"That's right. You had powers that I couldn't comprehend and that terrified me. But that's not the only reason. I was disappointed in myself for not being able to deal with you, and not having you around made me feel like a failure." Akiza's father admitted.

"So wait a minute... this is about you now?!" Akiza asked, enraged.

"Yes... It's about me letting you down... Even though I sent you away, I never stopped caring about you, or missing you. Neither did your mother. You'll always be our little girl." her father assured.

"Shut up! I'm not falling for this!" Akiza spat. "Due to Thorn Of Malice's effect, Stardust Dragon is weakened further." thorns continued to whip at Yusei's dragon.

[Stardust Dragon: ATK: 700]

"Next I activate Wonder Clover by sending Lord Poison to the Graveyard. In return, Black Rose Dragon now has the power to attack twice." Akiza said.

"Akiza, please. Stop this!" her father pleaded once more.

"Go Black Rose Dragon, attack Stardust Dragon!" Akiza cried as thorns flew out and struck at Yusei's dragon. I wish the people who designed the Duel Disks would've come up with more than one attack animation pair for the solid vision.

"I activate Iron Resolve!" Yusei shouted, flinging his hand out. "By halving my Life Points, I can reduce the damage I take from battle to zero."

[Yusei: 350 LP]

"Whatever! Stardust Dragon's still gonna lose more attack points." Akiza said as the whipping continued.

[Stardust Dragon: ATK: 100]

"Look at it. It's... so weak now." said Luna.

I nodded. "It doesn't matter what monster she draws next turn, Akiza will be able to wipe Stardust out."

"I'll activate my Trap Card, Death Petal Countdown. By removing an Evil Thorn from my Graveyard, I can inflict 300 points of damage to you." Akiza sniggered as purple flower petals appeared and flew straight at Yusei, with Akiza's father jumping in to take the hit.

[Yusei: 50 LP]

Akiza's father screamed out in pain, as cuts began to appear all over his skin and his suit became battered.

"What gives?" Yusei asked. "She's done making her move, but Akiza's power is still growing..."

"Of course..." I muttered, remembering what Sayer said. "Yusei!" I shouted as he turned to me. "When I dueled Akiza, Sayer said that she wasn't able to fully control her power." Yusei's eyes widened as I said this.

"On my next turn, I'll remove another monster and then... You're finished, Yusei!" Akiza shouted smugly.

"Akiza..." her father muttered as he began walking towards her in clear pain. "Please give me a second chance... come home to-" he flinched as he was cut across his cheek, blood running down his face.

"Stay back..." Akiza ordered. "I'm not kidding around!"

"Move, sir!" Yusei yelled. "Her powers could kill you!"

"I don't care. When Akiza was hurting, I turned my back on her. I won't do that again..." Akiza's father muttered.

"That all sounds really sweet... but you don't mean it!" Akiza barked.

"He does!" Yusei insisted. "Give your parents the opportunity to show you that they care..." Yusei murmured.

"Show them that I care?" Akiza asked softly, before shaking her head in dissaproval.

"I'm going to prove to you that you're my friend! I'm going to risk everything to show you that I care!" Yusei shouted. "I equip Stardust Dragon will Silverwing!" Yusei's dragon roared happily as its wings glowed a violet color. "Then I activate Release Restraint Wave!"

"Release Restraint Wave? What are you going to do with that?" Akiza asked.

"I'm gonna destroy my Silverwing equip Spell to destroy every Spell and Trap card that you have in play!" Yusei shouted as Akiza looked over at her Black Rose Dragon in dismay. "Now both of our dragon's attack powers return to normal..." Yusei smiled. "Go, Cosmic Flare!" Yusei's dragon let forth a transparent beam from its mouth, piercing through the skin of the Black Rose Dragon.

[Akiza: 3500 LP]

"I activate the effect of Hedge Guard. I'll discard it to prevent the destruction of my Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza laughed as her signature monster rematerialized behind her. [ATK: 1200]

Everyone cringed as her powers picked up the hospital equipment, Akiza's eyes widening in fear. "N-no..." she muttered. "This has gone too far. I don't want... I don't want to do this anymore!" she yelled as the bed she had rested on was flung at her father. "Daddy!" she cried, and all of a sudden, her powers stopped. The winds died down and the bed fell neatly back into place.

I looked into Akiza's eyes and saw the same regret that she had when she injured me in our duel. Both Akiza and her father dropped onto the floor, just mere inches apart. "I'm sorry... for everything..." Akiza muttered, before placing her hand on her Duel Disk. "I can't continue like this..."

[Akiza: 0 LP]

Akiza looked over and saw that her father was holding her tightly. "I should've never been afraid of you." he began. "I should've realized that you were just as frightened. I should've held you and comforted you, but I didn't. I want to start making up for that..." he smiled, tears streaming down his face as Yusei approached them.

"Akiza. I understand that you and your parents have a lot of catching up to do, but we Signers could really use you around too..." Yusei smiled. "What do you say? Will you fight with us? Will you take a stand alongside your friends?" Yusei asked.

"Friends..." Akiza muttered. "You got it, Yusei." she said smiling weakly, before turning to her father. "And if it's okay, would I be able to move back in with you?"

Akiza's father held her tighter. "Of course. You were always welcome. I should've never made you leave." he smiled.

I looked over at Akiza's mother, who had just broken down into tears... tears of joy... "Yeah!" Leo shouted, pumping his fist into the air.

"Awesome!" Luna smiled, her right hand across her chest. The twins ran up to Yusei and Akiza, and I quickly followed.

"See Akiza? It's just like Yusei said. We are all bound by our marks... Except mine hasn't appeared yet..." Leo ranted.

"That's right!" Luna chirped. "We're friends, all of us!"

"Like it or not!" Yusei joked.

Akiza looked down at the floor, a somber look appearing on her face. "That's great but... I had friends before... and that didn't turn out so well for them..." Akiza murmured. I bent down and put an arm on her shoulder.

"Akiza..." I said slowly. "I'm sorry I said all that stuff about Sayer. Regardless of what he did to me, he obviously cared for you a lot." I sighed. "It doesn't justify what he did, but he gave you comfort, he gave you security... I think that's what Seria tried to give me. With what Yusei's offering, it's not just words, it's the real thing..." As I said this, I glanced at my phone as I scrolled through my contact list, contemplating whether or not I should give Taze a call.


	8. Tough Questions, Easy Choices

"So this Goodwin person," I began. "He would know what's going on, with the Dark Signers and everything?" I asked.

"Well I'm not really sure..." Yusei muttered. "But if anyone has any answers, it's him."

After we checked Akiza out of the hospital, Yusei told me a little bit about what had been going on. Apparently there was a group known as the Dark Signers, who were sworn enemies of the Signers... consisting of Yusei, Jack, Akiza and Luna. Leo had insisted to me that he was the fifth Signer, though Luna quietly told me that he wasn't, but that I should play along. Anyway, Yusei explained that the Director of Sector Security, Rex Goodwin had invited them all to his mansion so that he could give them more information about the Dark Signers, though Yusei was still not sure that he could be trusted. I didn't know what the reasons behind Yusei's opinion of Goodwin was, but it was clear that there was some form of conflict between the two of them.

I had decided to hold off on calling Taze, at least for the moment. I mean, what would I say when I called him? And how would he react? Who was he to me? I knew that, at least for the most part, Yusei and Jack weren't shaken by my condition, even though I had heard the two of them talking about me in private before. I didn't blame them. After all, Yusei had given me my deck back, and Jack had given me my phone. They were probably just talking about how to deal with or communicate with me. It just sucked that, aside from a couple brief visions I had of them, I knew virtually nothing about them. I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask, but I had no idea where to start or if what I said would offend either of them.

With Akiza, Leo and Luna, I at least had a couple things I could talk about with them, which was nice. Luna actually insisted that I accompany them to Goodwin's mansion, which I was a little on the fence about, since I wasn't sure if I would be of any use to them. Luna was very persistent though, and I could tell by the way that she was speaking that she seemed a little nervous about the whole Dark Signer thing. So even if all I could do was just ease Luna's concerns about all that, then that would be fine by me. It was nice to wanted, after all...

Leo came up with the idea that before we went to Rex Goodwin's mansion, we should go and 'absorb the sights of the district', as he put it, which Luna told me meant that Leo wanted to buy food and look at toys. Yusei, Luna and Akiza had actually wanted to help me find some clothes I liked, but we ended up spending most of the time doing what Leo wanted, so at least for now, I was stuck wearing the Arcadia Movement Uniform, Torunka's staff still attached to it since I didn't have any place to put it. It had earned me a couple awkward stares by random individuals, but I paid them no attention.

"Ah! This looks so cool!" Leo practically drooled over the glass panel which was protecting some card packs.

"You're so embarrassing sometimes..." Luna muttered.

"How long have we got until Goodwin calls for us?" Akiza asked.

"Mina said she'll contact me when she's got the limo ready." Jack informed.

"A limo? Awesome!" Leo jumped, before going back to looking over the packs of cards. "Tyler, can I ask you a question?" Leo asked, not taking his eyes away from the glass panel.

"Sure!" I replied. I thought that Leo was gonna ask me about some cards or something, but he wasn't. In fact, Leo's question wasn't one that I was particularly ready for.

"What's it like having amnesia?" he asked, now turning towards me.

"Leo!" Luna scolded him. "You can't ask Tyler something like that!"

"No. It's fine." I assured the twins as I turned my attention fully towards Leo. I could tell by Leo's innocent expression that he wasn't trying to be cheeky or facetious. So I decided to at least try and give him a serious answer. I had a bit of difficulty coming up with an answer that wasn't all depressing and negative, so I gave a vague answer hoping that it would satisfy Leo and not make me feel uncomfortable by addressing the topic. "Uh... It's difficult. I... I can't really describe it." I struggled to think of an answer that Leo would be able to understand, but I eventually thought of a light-hearted example. "Okay, it's... sort of like watching a sequel to a movie without having watched the first one..."

"Oh..." Leo muttered. "Man, that must suck!" he declared.

I laughed. "Yeah, it does! But it helps that I've got people that are happy to explain what the first movie is about." I gestured to both Yusei and Jack who nodded. With that, Leo's attention promptly became focused on the cards behind the glass once again and the conversation ended. Luna shot me an apologetic glance before getting into an argument with Leo about social etiquette.

I blocked out all other sounds as I focused my attention on the music playing through the store's speakers, tapping along to the beat of the drum on my Duel Disk. As I shifted my view from Yusei and Jack, to Akiza, and then to Leo and Luna, I saw someone a few years older than me look at me from across the other side of the store. Something in the back of my mind told me to look away, so I did. As the sound of footsteps drew closer to me, I sighed and turned back.

"Hi, Tyler." the man said. I gave the man a focused expression, trying to figure out where I knew him from. He seemed very familiar, and he knew my name, so he was probably someone I knew before Sayer had gotten a hold of me, an old friend perhaps?

But what if he wasn't? Maybe he had just heard my name in conversation with Yusei and the others and was trying to lure me into a trap of some kind... Maybe he was a Dark Signer...

"What have you been up to?" the man asked softly.

"Why do you need to know?" I asked, feeling my free hand slip down and tap against my thigh nervously, all without any thought to it. I could tell that my uneasiness was noticed by Luna and Akiza, as the two girls glanced at me, looks of concern and worry on their faces.

"Who are you?" Akiza asked the man.

"The name's Joel, not that you need to know, witch. I'm more interested in Tyler here." the man snapped. Akiza twitched upon hearing that insult, and I could tell that she just wanted to just lash out and attack him, but thankfully she didn't.

"Interested in me? Why?" I asked, taking a little step back. It didn't dawn on me until a couple seconds of silence had passed that I had a ton of messages on my phone from some guy named Joel. Was this the same guy?

"Why do ya think I'm interested?" Joel rolled his eyes. "You think I'd forget?"

"Uhhhh... f-forget?" I stammered. I began to feel very uncomfortable, not unlike when I had met up with Yusei at the Outer Rim. Sweat appeared on my forehead as the urge to scream became my most prominent feeling and thought. It angered me, but I couldn't push the feeling away. Would I feel like this every single time I met someone who knew me but I didn't recognize?

Joel looked to Yusei, then Jack, then Akiza, Leo and Luna, before looking back to me. He smiled a little. "Right, I'm sorry. I get that you don't want to make this a big thing in front of your," Joel paused as he glanced at Leo and Luna. "friends... I'd be more than happy to talk in private."

My eyes widened as I struggled to regain control of my senses. "No, thank you." I declined. "If you want to resolve any matters with me, you'll have to do it here in public."

Joel suddenly grew angry, his expression hardening. "Alright you little shithead, listen here!" Joel shouted, grabbing me by my uniform. It took me a little longer than it should have to realize I was being hoisted up by this man, but fortunately Jack came to my assistance.

"Listen, mate! You can't just come in here and start demanding things! So why don't you explain yourself!" Jack barked, ripping Joel's hands away from my uniform.

"Sorry, I don't take orders from the Former King, so why don't _you_ back off!" Joel shouted.

Jack's reaction made it seem like Joel had said the worst thing anybody could say to him ever. "Former... King...?" Jack swallowed. "Let's take this outside!"

"You fucking bring it, mate. I'll smash you!" Joel snapped.

"Now hold on! Violence isn't the answer!" Yusei interjected, stepping in-between the two taller men. "Look, why don't we all just keep calm and discuss this rationally for a second!" Both Jack and Joel fidgeted before sighing as Yusei continued. "Obviously you're one of Tyler's old friends, right? Well he's-"

"I'm his stepbrother, you dick!" Joel snarled. His sentence seemed to smack me in the face, but I didn't react. How could I? Why could I? What could I say? It didn't seem like the statement was a lie, because if he was going to lie, he could've said something a lot worse. There was also something telling me that Joel was telling the truth. Of course, that probably did have something to do with the umpteen messages he sent me, which I didn't read many of, what with my flashbacks and Akiza lying comatose in a hospital bed.

"Your stepbrother?!" Everyone asked, turning their heads back and forth between Joel and mine.

"Yeah, that's right! Tell 'em!" Joel urged me. "I mean, it's obvious you've told these guys nothing! So now's your chance! Go on! Tell them everything!"

But I couldn't. I knew nothing.

As I processed what I was going to say, it seemed as if Joel was trying to kill me using only his eyes. His expression revealed to me this unearthed anger and resentment that I had obviously some part in creating. I felt sorry for him because of this, but also because of what I was about to tell him. "I... have amnesia..." I muttered.

Joel didn't react right away. To be honest, from the way that Joel had been acting towards everyone earlier, I thought he'd think I was lying to him and he'd punch me out, but he didn't. He just stood perfectly still, his ice-blue eyes gazing into mine. Eventually, Joel spoke. "Do you... Do you know how you got it?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fairly certain..." I muttered, Akiza shifting a glance towards me.

"Is it permanent?" Joel asked.

"From what I've been told..."

Joel sighed, now trying to find any excuse to not look at me. Eventually he brought his hand up and ran his fingers down his eyelids. "You take care then..." he whispered, turning to walk away.

My eyes widened at his abrupt exit. "W-wait! Joel, where are you going?!" I asked.

"Why do you care?! You don't know who I am!" Joel spat, not even turning back to face me. I felt offended, as if it was somehow my fault that I had no recollection of who I was. As Joel went to walk out the store door, my breathing elevated. There was no way I was gonna just swallow the information he had given me, and then just watch him walk away!

"Hey! You can't just come in and drop a bombshell on me like this! Why did you even come over here?" I asked.

Joel turned back to me. "I came over to apologize, to Tyler, not to you!" Joel spoke, every word filled with spite. "You might as well be dead!"

Joel's statement struck me like a knife to my heart. My supposed stepbrother would've preferred me dead... "Why are you saying this to me?" I broke down. "You have no idea what I've been through!" I yelled.

"What _you've_ been through?! You ran away from New Domino to the Satellite so long ago, and you wrote a letter saying that it was _my_ fault! You abandoned our parents! I don't hear from you for years and now you're standing in front of me, with no idea who I was until a couple minutes ago! You can go fuck yourself for all I care, 'cause whatever it is you've been doing, you've been doing just fine without us!"

"Joel, it's not like that!" Yusei insisted.

"I didn't say you were a part of this conversation now, did I?" Joel snarled. "Why don't you mind your own Goddamn business?"

"My friends _are_ my business!" Yusei said defiantly.

"Is that so?" Joel jested. "Well, Tyler I'd say you've got a great group of friends here to hide behind! A criminal, a witch, the ex-champ and two kids! I always pegged you for doing some creepy shit, but at least you're not still hanging around that Taze fellow now, are you?"

I noted that the name Taze was brought up by Joel, and I thought about asking who Taze was, since it was obvious that Joel knew about him as well. But Joel had just insulted my friends, and there was no way that I was gonna let that slide. "You stand here talking about my poor choice in friends, but at least I have some. You're all alone..." I said justly.

"I don't need friends! When you're alone, you account for your own mistakes. I'm not someone so weak as to hang around with others for support. Even after all this time, you still can't stand on your own two feet..." Joel said snidely.

"You think that's what it means to have friends?" Yusei asked. "It's not that we don't have the strength to stand on our own, it's knowing what our limits are, and that if we stand together, our bonds will unite us and make us strong enough to overcome our limits."

"What the fuck are you on?" Joel asked.

"I'm sure that as Tyler's stepbrother, you have a bond with him, just as we, as friends, have bonds with each other. A bond that someone like you would have could never be erased!" Yusei shouted, before turning to me. "Tyler, you need to show Joel that in spite of all that's happened, the bond between you two still exists!"

"And how would I go about doing that?" I asked. Yusei simply looked at my Duel Disk, and then back at me. "You want me to Duel him?"

"If your words can't reach him, then maybe your cards will." Yusei urged.

"This guy's bat-shit insane!" Joel laughed. "A Duel Monsters game will not solve this problem, okay?! Playing Duel Monsters has got nothing to do with this! This has to do with the fact that Tyler didn't have the guts to man up and tackle his problems head-on, instead choosing to run away and live with the scum! This has to do with the fact that I felt at fault, and that I tried to make things right but I couldn't, and that was because of him!"

I did agree with Joel partly. Yusei asking me to Duel him didn't really make much sense, but then again, I felt the same way when Yusei and Akiza Dueled at the hospital, and that Duel ended with Akiza making up with her family. Perhaps in the same vein, if I Dueled Joel, I could repair the bonds that had been severed, and maybe even learn a little bit about the old me.

"I want to make up for what I've done!" I insisted.

"So what? Things can go back to normal until the next time you run away and bump your head?!"

"Things will never be normal! I will never be normal!" I shouted. "The memories of my past, I will NEVER get back. But you know what? I'm fine with that, and you know why? It's because of the support I'm getting from the five people behind me! When I first saw Yusei a couple days ago, I pretty much flipped out, I was scared, and I didn't know why! But Yusei, he was persistent. He could've easily just forgotten about me, but he didn't! He found me, gave me my deck back, and helped me escape from the madhouse I was in! With Jack, when I told him that I didn't remember him, he didn't walk away and say I was better off dead, he said he was glad I was alive! Akiza showed me that everybody in the world has problems, and we're all unique in our own way! She was gracious enough to let me see her for who she truly was! Luna gave me-"

"Alright! Jeez! If I Duel you, will you shut up?!" Joel shouted.

I stopped. I did have so much more that I wanted to say, but I guess I was beginning to ramble. "...Yes..." I muttered dejectedly. Besides, at least Yusei would get what he wanted.

"Okay then... Why don't we do this somewhere else?" Joel asked.

"Where would you suggest?"

"Well, obviously not here. There's not enough space." Joel pondered for a moment. "Are you alright with Neo Station?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

Joel nodded. "Alright! I'll lead the way... "

The seven of us left the shop, Leo sticking close to Yusei, and Luna sticking close to me as we all walked through various back alleys and underpasses until we reached Neo Station. The actual train station itself was closed due to the kerfuffle with the Dark Signers (apparently the city had suffered quite a bit of damage which I wasn't aware of), but the lot was still open, so we made our way over to that.

Joel looked around aimlessly before focusing his sights on a parked Duel Runner. "I'm getting my Duel Disk, gimme a sec!" he shouted back to me as he walked over to it.

I heard a click and a Duel Disk slid out of a compartment on the Runner as Joel pressed a button. Joel strapped the Duel Disk to his wrist and took out a set of cards from a compartment on the Runner.

"Is this your Duel Runner?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah. I don't Turbo Duel with it though. The Autopilot's messed up, won't turn on." Joel explained. "I'm getting it fixed this afternoon." Joel then turned to me as I took the opportunity to speak again.

"Look, Joel. I'm not asking you to accept who I am now, I'm asking that you support me... " I muttered. "Yusei, Jack, Akiza, Leo, Luna – they've all been supporting me, and if it weren't for them I'd probably be dead right now." My voice started to crack. "You're my... stepbrother... I want to get to know you again."

Joel sighed. "Well... You've got your reasons to Duel me, and I need to make up for what I've done. So if this 'bond' can be found through dueling you, then I'm for it." I didn't really know what drove Joel as a person to act how he was, and perhaps it was better this way. Maybe there were things that I just didn't need to know about. I simply nodded as the two of us activated our Duel Disks.

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Joel: 4000 LP]

"I'll begin..." Joel muttered. "I'll place one card face-down and summon Armed Dragon LV3!" he grinned as the lesser dragon appeared on the field, hardly being held up by its own wings. [ATK: 1200] "Your turn."

I drew and looked over my cards carefully. "I summon Gemini Elf!" I yelled as the twin elves appeared behind me. [ATK: 1900] "Attack!" I shouted as the elves charged at Joel's dragon.

"I activate my face-down, Sakuretsu Armor!" Joel flung out his hand as his dragon became coated in a reflective armor, and my elves simply dissolved upon contact.

"Oh no!" Leo shouted. "Now Tyler's wide open!"

I groaned. "I'll set one card. Your turn."

Joel grinned. "Now I can trade in my Level 3 dragon for a Level 5 one. Make way for Armed Dragon LV5!" I watched as Joel's dragon grew bigger and its skin turned from a bright orange to a deep red. [Armed Dragon LV5: ATK: 2400] "Attack!" I braced myself, but that was unneeded. The attack easily flowed through me and I barely felt a thing. I guess having dealt with Sayer and all the Spirit World stuff had strengthened my body more than I realized.

[Tyler: 1600 LP]

"Tyler!" both Leo and Luna shouted.

"I'll place a monster in defense mode. Your turn..." I said, steadily getting back up.

Joel drew his card. "I'll attack with my dra-"

I flung my hand out. "My face-down monster is Apprentice Magician!" Joel's dragon easily blasted through it, but I remained steady. "I can summon another Apprentice Magician face-down." I searched through my deck and set the card down.

"Then I'll end my turn..." Joel muttered.

"Huh?" Leo asked, puzzled. "Why didn't Joel upgrade his dragon to Level 7?"

"He must be worried about Tyler's face-down..." Jack muttered.

"I summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" I shouted as the robe-wearing sorcerer appeared on my side of the field [ATK: 1600]. "Next, I'll attack your dragon with Rapid-Fire!"

"Why wou-"

"I chain Magician's Circle. Now we can both special summon a spellcaster from our deck that have 2000 attack power or less. I choose Dark Magician Girl!" I grinned as the blonde-haired, blue-armored young woman posed before winking at Joel, who was clearly not impressed. [ATK: 2000]

"Well, just so you know, I have no spellcasters..." Joel shrugged.

"Right. Well since I already ordered an attack with Rapid-Fire Magician, he's forced to continue his battle with your dragon." We watched as Rapid-Fire's attacked seemed to bounce off the surface of Joel's dragon and reflect back to me.

[Tyler: 800 LP]

"Ah! Tyler, why'd you do that!?" Leo asked. "You've almost got no Life Points left!"

"Next, I activate the spell Sage's Stone, which lets me summon Dark Magician!" I smiled, slotting the card into my Duel Disk [ATK: 2500]. "Finally, I'll set one card. It's your turn."

Joel drew, glancing at the card in his hand, and then at my set card. "I'll place five cards face-down, and end my turn."

"What the Hell are you doing?! You could've won this game by Summoning your LV7 Armed Dragon and attacking Tyler's Dark Magician Girl with it!" Jack shouted, strangely irritated by the fact that Joel hadn't beaten me yet.

Joel smiled. "See, this is why you're the Former King. I can only summon Armed Dragon LV7 at the End Phase after its LV5 version has attacked and destroyed a monster in battle. And besides, even if I could, the face-down card that Tyler has out is Sakuretsu Armor, the same card that I used a couple turns back."

My eyes widened. Joel hit the nail right on the head.

"See Tyler, I remember all about your deck, and the way you play must be so deeply embedded into your brain that not even amnesia could make you change your play style. If I were to attack with anything right now, my monster would be destroyed no matter what. So as I said, I'll end my turn here."

I drew. "I sacrifice Apprentice Magician and Dark Magician Girl to summon Brain Crusher!" I yelled. The giant insect taking up space behind me [ATK: 2400]. "Then I'll activate Knight's Title, transforming my Dark Magician into Dark Magician Knight!" I shouted.

"Nice work, but I'm activating Effect Nuvarius, Dragon's Rage and Threatening Roar." Joel said nonchalantly.

"You wanna run that by me one more time?" I asked.

"The effect of your Knight is negated and you can't attack me this turn." Joel clarified. "In addition, if you were to kill my dragon, you'd lose all your Life Points."

"Why'd you tell me that? I could've attacked and lost." I pointed out. Joel didn't seem to have thought of that, as his expression changed and he sighed.

"God fucking damn it..." Joel muttered.

"You were bagging on me before, but I wouldn't have done that!" Jack laughed.

"Shut up!" Joel shouted through clenched teeth.

"I end my turn..." I muttered.

Joel picked up a card, the irritated expression leaving his face almost instantly. "I'll place one card face-down and end." he snickered. "This is your last turn!" he shouted triumphantly. Something in the back of my head was telling me that he was right. Win or lose, this would be my last turn. Whatever card Joel had set had to have been something he had been waiting for since the beginning of the game.

"Unless Tyler draws something this turn that can destroy Joel's Trap, he's done for!" Leo wavered.

I knew that I would be better off keeping both my monsters in attack position, because Joel' Dragon's Rage card would inflict piercing damage either way. Hesitantly, I drew my card. And as I saw it, my vision grew hazy.

When my vision had cleared, I found myself in a church, well-dressed and staring at a coffin, the picture of an older man next to it. I was alone in this church, and with every second that passed I found myself more and more inclined to touch the casket. As I reached forward to run my fingers along it, I found myself amongst a group of many other people, including Taze. An elderly man was reading something from a piece of a paper. He looked at me, reached behind him, and handed me a card.

"First, I activate Heavy Storm!" I shouted, immediately regaining my sense of place.

Joel groaned as his face-downs were wiped away. "Not like it matters! You can't beat me this turn!" he insisted.

"I sacrifice Dark Magician Knight and Brain Crusher to summon Explosivo!" I shouted, flinging my card onto the Duel Disk. I watched as my two monsters shone with a bright light, before they disappeared and a knight in red armor, surrounded by sparkling lights, stood in their place. [ATK: ?]

"What the Hell kind of monster is that? You've never used that before!" Joel growled.

"When Explosivo is summoned, I can discard cards from the top of my deck to increase its attack by 300 points." I explained, brushing off Joel question.

"Wha-"

"I discard 27 cards from my deck..." I said calmly as Explosivo brandished his sword. [Explosivo: ATK: 8100]

"No... fucking... w-"

"Explosivo! Attack!" I yelled. The warrior complied and with one swift strike, sliced Joel's dragon clean in half.

[Joel: 0 LP]

Joel stood across from me, dumbstruck, as I recombined my card piles and shuffled my deck. "The fuck was that ass-pull?" he asked.

I honestly didn't know how to answer Joel's question. I had been through my deck several times after Yusei had given it back to me, and I had never seen this 'Explosivo' before. Then again, I probably saw it whilst skimming but paid no attention to the card, what with the rest of my deck not being anything special.

"Tyler! Are you okay?!" Yusei asked. "You looked like you were in a trance before."

"It was a funeral..." I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked.

"I saw someone... but I..."

"Hey!" Joel shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "The Hell'd you get that card from?" he asked.

"I don't know..." I mumbled.

"You fucking topdecked that!" Joel sighed. "And if I had've drawn Mystical Space Typhoon, I would've won easily!"

"Oh be quiet!" Jack shot Joel down. "Tyler won the Duel! That's that!"

"You're right. I'm sorry. That's wrong of me. A loss is a loss. I came to apologize, and that's what I'm gonna do." Joel wiped at his brow with his wrist, turning to me. "I've done some terrible things to you in the past, and I didn't realize how lucky I was to have a brother, even one that's not technically related to me, until you had left. For a while after that, I hated you, more than I hated anyone else in the world. I didn't want to face up to what I had done, because I knew that it would mean losing the trust of my father and your mother."

I contemplated asking Joel what exactly he was referring to when he said that he'd done terrible things to me, but there was probably a reason why he wasn't explicitly telling me. And I didn't really care at the moment as my mind was still focused on the newest vision that I had experienced. There had to have been some connection to Explosivo, and whoever was in the casket, otherwise I wouldn't have had the vision, right? And Taze seems to be connected to all of these events...

"Hey! You still with us?!" Joel called out, causing me to snap back to him.

"S-Sorry..."

"You weren't even listening, were you?" Joel asked.

"I was, um... No. No I wasn't..."

Joel groaned. "Look, everybody. I'm sorry about all the things I said. Akiza, you're not a witch. Jack, you're... still second to Yusei here... But... Uh, it's obvious that you guys are all a part of a closely-knit group, and Tyler's lucky to be a part of that."

"Well Joel, if you wanted, you could come along with us?" Yusei offered.

"Nah. Whatever you guys have got going on, I don't want to intrude on. Besides, I gotta get my Duel Runner fixed, and then I gotta go and tell a certain someone's mother that he's alive and well." Joel looked over at me expectantly.

"I don't think I could face that... face her..." I admitted. I couldn't even call Taze, so how could I talk to my mother who I didn't know anything about? "Just... can you not tell her that you've seen me?"

Joel sighed, murmuring: "Check your phone...". I did as he asked and pulled it out of my pocket.

"What am I supposed to be looking for?" I asked.

"You've still got phone service. You know why that is, don't you?" Joel asked. I shook my head. "They switched your plan but they still kept you on, because they hoped that when you came back to New Domino City, you'd give them a call."

"Joel, it's not that simple. I-"

"Your mom won't care that you've got amnesia. She'll just be happy to know you're okay. But if you don't want me to tell them, I won't. I understand that you still have to figure things out for yourself, and that's fine. Just... promise me two things, okay?"

"Of course."

"One: don't lose another Duel. When we were younger you always used to lose against me, so now that you've won against me, I can't permit you to lose to anyone."

"Sure." I smiled. I had no intention of losing another Duel, but not because it was my stepbrother's wish.

"And two:" Joel sighed, his expression changing to a much more serious one. "When you're done doing whatever you need to do... call home. Our parents miss you... I miss you..." Joel's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Wow, I'm sorry, that sounded really lame. I just mean, take care of yourself."

"I will." I assured him.

"You'd better!" Joel smirked, walking back over to his Duel Runner. The six of us watched silently as he got on and revved it a couple times. He turned to me and offered a silent nod, which I returned, before he sped off through the gate.

"Nice boy..." Jack muttered.

"He had a cool Duel Runner!" Leo piped up.

"Are you okay, Tyler?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah..." I muttered, acknowledging Akiza before turning to Yusei. "Looks like you were right about the Duel!"

"It wasn't just that you Dueled him. It was that you were willing to repair the bond that you two had."

"Yusei..." I muttered

"Wait, I'm still a bit confused." Leo said, looking over at me. "So you were originally from New Domino City, ran away to the Satellite, and then what?"

"And then... we met him..." Jack muttered. "He came through the Pipeline on a really old scooter."

"You didn't really tell us a lot about what your life was like before in New Domino City, so I'm afraid we won't be able to answer any questions about that." Yusei muttered.

"That's fine. Besides, the past is the past, right? And the only way to go forward is to beat these so-called Dark Signers. I can worry about everything else a little later." I said.

"Tyler, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Yusei stated. "I mean, you're not a Signer, so you're putting your life at risk for-" I blew Yusei off.

"Dude, I want to this. If I can help you guys in any way, then I should." I smiled, before turning back to Luna and Akiza. "Besides... I still have a couple promises that I need to keep..." I muttered. Luna promptly blushed at my comment.

Jack's phone beeped. "Mina's got the limo ready." he said. "Follow me!" Jack barked, in which we all complied.

"This'll be awesome!" Leo shouted.


	9. A Momentary Lapse of Reason

"Wow! Goodwin's mansion is huge!" Leo gawked. "It probably has got its own zip code." The limozine's windows were severely tinted and so this was my first real look at the mansion. The outside of the mansion seemed to be very well kept, and the surrounding area, a lush green landscape, stretched on as far as I could see. I had to agree, it was impressive. At the same time though, it was also a little bit upsetting. I could see now the reason of why the people of Satellite, myself probably included, were, and still are, living in poverty – this guy was screwing everybody over!

The double doors opened out and revealed a well-dressed man with long, flowing white hair and hazel eyes. His gloved hands were kept behind his back. "Thank you all for coming..." the man said as Mina bowed graciously. "I've waited a long time for this moment. The four Signers here, all together... For those of you who don't know me, my name is Rex Goodwin and it is with great honor that I welcome you to my humble abode. I am here to serve you." Goodwin bowed. Here to serve, eh? Challenge Accepted! A place like this is bound to have free Wi-Fi!

"Right..." Jack's eyes narrowed. "The only thing you've ever served is a tennis ball..." Jack muttered. I took a few steps to the left, distancing myself from Jack. His jokes were almost as bad as Liquid's...

Luna drew closer to me, and I heard Akiza and Yusei murmur something to each other before Leo charged up to Goodwin.

"So why'd you bring us all here? Are you gonna give us super-dueling-decks or what?" Leo asked.

Goodwin looked at Leo with somewhat disdain. "I don't recall anyone inviting you!" he said sharply.

Leo doubled back. "I'll take a raincheck on those dueling decks..."

"There are no 'super-dueling-decks'. You should probably go home now." Goodwin suggested.

At that, a look of depression swept across Leo's face. That poor kid... If he's not allowed, then who's to say I am?

"Signer or not, he's my brother. He stays!" Luna said determinedly, clasping Leo's hand in her own.

"I do?" Leo asked.

Goodwin sighed. "Fine, you can all come in... Just no pets okay?"

At hearing that, Luna hugged her brother's arm tightly. "We'll both save the world!"

"Ummm... Alright..." Leo mumbled nervously.

"Shall we go inside?" Goodwin asked, positioning one hand towards the doorway while keeping the other one firmly behind his back. What is he trying to hide?

No one said anything as we all walked down the hallway to the elevator. I don't think any of us knew exactly where we were supposed to be going, I just followed behind Leo and Luna. Eventually the elevator doors opened, revealing a long hallway. Goodwin took the lead, both hands still behind his back. "I must say that I wasn't expecting any more than four people, so you'll have to forgive me until I get some arrangements sorted out."

I groaned under my breath, knowing full-well that Goodwin's comment was directed at Leo and I. Though I did find that puzzling for the most part. At least Leo had a direct connection with the Signers – he was Luna's brother. As far as Goodwin knew, I was just a friend of the Signers with no real connection to any of the events that were happening, so why didn't he make me stay back with Mina? There had to be some sort of ulterior motive that I didn't know about...

As we walked through the hallway, I found myself staring at the oil paintings hung on the walls. They were all rather old and each placed in a gold frame. Eventually we came upon a rosewood door, which Goodwin slowly opened to reveal what looked to be an office. The walls, a depressing brown color, were offset by the terrible green carpet. For a guy who could easily afford to repaint and redecorate, he seemed content with the 'state' of his office. I don't know, I guess I was just expecting a little more from Goodwin's office. After all, Sayer's office in the Arcadia Movement had gold and marble statues everywhere.

Goodwin walked forward and around his desk, his gaze focusing out the window, before back at us. "It is... unfortunate that it has taken this long for the four Signers to get here, although I'm sure you understand why..." he muttered. "Though as I did say, I am glad and honored that you would grace me with your presence."

"Suck up..." Jack murmured.

"Alright, Goodwin. That's enough! You called us here to give us information, and you're not the kind of person to give anyone anything without some kind of personal agenda. So what is it that you want?!" Yusei asked. I had to say, I was surprised at how Yusei had gotten straight to the point with Goodwin. I certainly wouldn't have had the guts to talk to him how Yusei just did.

"Hmph! It doesn't seem like you hold much respect for me now, does it?"

"Goodwin, what is it that you want?!" Yusei repeated.

Goodwin sighed. "Very well then." He then opened up a drawer at his desk and pulled out some small electronic device. He pressed a button, and a giant projector slowly made its way down from a slot in the ceiling to being eye-level with us. The screen lit up and revealed to me some sort of ancient structure, surrounded by an illuminated engraving of a dragon. "What's that shape?" Yusei asked.

"The dragon... it's each of our marks!" Luna guessed.

"The Crimson Dragon..." Akiza muttered. I observed each of the Marks slowly, attributing each of them to their owner. In the limozine ride over, Yusei, Jack, Akiza and Luna had shown me their respective Signer Marks. Yusei had the Tail, Jack had the Wings, Akiza had the Foot, and Luna had the Hand. Yusei had also told me that there were five Signers in total, but what I could see here in this image, was that there seemed to possibly six Marks, and therefore, maybe six Signers. Aside from the four Marks I had been shown prior, I could also make out the Head of the dragon and, curiously, Luna's Hand Mark seemed to clutching something from within its claw.

"That's right. It is the symbol that binds you all together as protectors of the world, passed down as a celestial legend." Goodwin clarified. "I'm sure that you've seen it... what the Crimson Dragon showed us at the Fortune Cup..."

"The vision?" I whispered.

"Yes, we did." Yusei confirmed.

"In that case then, you know the reason of why I have called you here..."

"And what's that?" Yusei asked, looking at each of the Marks of the Crimson Dragon.

"The Crimson Dragon has chosen you to take on the army of darkness. This has always been, and forever shall be your destiny." Goodwin clarified, pressing a button on the little doohickie, replacing the current slide on the projector with another. The slide showed the Crimson Dragon, and in front of it, six other dragons who were attacking shrouded black creatures.

"Is he telling the truth? My destiny?" I heard Akiza mutter.

"Akiza..." Goodwin muttered. "It is because of your Psychic powers that the legend of the Black Rose began, and Luna and Yusei found you. The Crimson Dragon chose you not despite who you are, but because of it. This battle may acquire abilities such as yours..." Goodwin sighed.

"This is a lot to take in..." I murmured. Although I knew I wasn't a Signer, what Goodwin was saying hit me hard.

"Each of you fill a unique part of the Crimson Dragon's plan, including you, Luna..." Goodwin said, turning to face her. "Tell everyone about your gift..." Goodwin smirked.

Luna gulped. "I don't really know if it's a gift. I mean, I didn't get it for my birthday or anything but sometimes when I duel, I get transported to a strange land - the Spirit World - I would play and laugh with all the-"

"Boring!" Leo interrupted.

"Hey! This is my story!" Luna snapped. "Anyway, that's where I met the Ancient Fairy Dragon. She told me that the Spirit World was in trouble, and I had to help rescue it."

Goodwin nodded. "You all have a part to play in this battle. It doesn't matter about how you were all brought up, all that matters is that it lead you all here to this moment." Goodwin emphasized.

"Um, Mr. Goodwin." Leo piped up. "I know I'm not a Signer, but aren't there supposed to be five of them?" Leo asked.

Jack nodded. "There's only four of us here now..."

"Wait, does that mean..." Luna pondered. "Tyler is the fifth Signer?" Luna asked, turning to me.

"That would make sense. You do have a connection to the Spirit World like Luna, after all." Yusei said as he turned to me.

"No, it is not him. The fifth Signer already knows of their status and their powers." Goodwin informed. "However, you do play a key role, Tyler..." Goodwin muttered.

"Which is...?" I asked sheepishly.

"The Dark Signers actions will not only cause damage to the human world, but to the Spirit World as well. Since you are connected to the Spirit World, it is imperative that you help defeat the Dark Signers." I nodded slightly as Goodwin continued. "For safety reasons, I am forced to keep the whereabouts of the fifth Signer a secret, but know that when you face true danger he will appear."

"What do we do now, though?" Yusei asked. "Until the fifth Signer shows, I mean." Yusei added.

"I must inform you on the powers of the Dark Signers. Their true agenda... Is to kill the five Signers..." Goodwin muttered, causing the rest of us to gasp.

"Th-that seems a little harsh, doesn't it?" I asked.

Goodwin shook his head. "Within each of the Dark Signers is a limitless amount of power which draws upon the essence of death. I'm sure you are well aware of the collapse of the Arcadia Movement..."

"Yes. We are." I answered with a hidden smirk.

"Well that was only the beginning, just a taste of the powers that the Dark Signers possess."

"The final plan is to ultimately revive the King of the Underworld, and the only way that the King of the Underworld will be able to rise is without the interference from the Crimson Dragon and his followers – you Signers." Underworld...? Erebus...? It couldn't possibly be...

"What happens when he is revived?" Leo asked.

"Once the King of the Underworld rises, he will bring forth his Army of Darkness and command the Earthbound Immortals to destroy the world..." Goodwin stated, showing little emotion.

"So you gathered us here to stop that from happening, right?!" Jack yelled.

"I gathered you here to ask for your assistance, not to force you into doing anything you're not comfortable with. I'm afraid I can only take you this far on the path." Goodwin informed. "In order to defeat the Army of Darkness, you will need to commit your entire life to defeating the Dark Signers. But you must know, the Dark Signers are no longer of this world..." Goodwin muttered.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I asked.

"To put it simply, they are Shades. The Dark Signers themselves are dead, only alive through the powers of the Underworld." Goodwin said all-too calmly. "If you defeat them in a duel, they will most likely not return to their former states." I saw Yusei's eyes widen. He knew something that he wasn't telling any of us. "I understand that this is a lot for you all to take in," Goodwin began. "You are free to stay here until further arrangements are made. May you all make the right choice..." Goodwin muttered, switching off the projector and leaving us in the dark... alone...

* * *

I barely slept at all last night. My mind was too active. With everything that Goodwin had said, I had to admit that I was a little bit frightened of what was to come. Yusei wasn't helping ease my concerns there. It seemed like after speaking with Goodwin, Yusei had distanced himself a little from the rest of us. On the other end of the spectrum, Luna actually seemed more cheerful after the meeting with Goodwin, which was nice to see.

Irregardless of the mixed feelings within the group, everyone was able to get to sleep without an issue. Well, everyone except me. It wasn't all bad though, my insomnia did give me the opportunity to wash my uniform and clean myself up a little while everyone else was sleeping. So I sat, earphones in, listening to Pink Floyd's 'Terminal Frost' on repeat as the washing machine took care of my clothes until sunlight broke through the one window in the room.

Without moving from my seat, I leaned over and pressed a button on the washing machine to end the cycle. I looked up through the window and watched as the cool mist of the morning mixed with the light of the sun. I exhaled, getting up and retrieving my clothes from the washing machine. I spent the next hour or so drying my uniform with a shoddy iron that I barely knew how to operate. After the song faded into a soothing clarity for what felt like only the first time, I unplugged my earphones and rested my phone on the windowsill as I got dressed.

Slipping my boots on and grabbing my phone, I turned off the washing machine and disconnected the iron, before walking out into the hallway. From where I was standing, I could smell breakfast being cooked. As much as I would've liked to eat something, as it had been a few days since I'd had a proper meal, I just didn't feel up to it. I guess it was a little hypocritical of me to say that Yusei had distanced himself from us, when I seemed to be doing the same. To Yusei, Jack, Akiza and Luna, I felt like an outsider, mostly due to what Goodwin had discussed with us. He did say that I had a key role, but I wasn't so sure about that.

I sighed, walking into Goodwin's huge lounge room. The cool morning breeze flowed through the room and I could hear the cooing of birds from the outside. I sat down on one of the many massive couches in the room, pulled out my earphones and resumed listening to music as I tilted my head back and closed my eyes.

I didn't know how long I had been listening to my music for, but when I opened my eyes again, I noticed that Yusei was in the room with me. I took out my earphones and cleared my throat. "Mornin' Yusei!" I smiled. Yusei just turned to me, a hardened expression on his face, before turning and facing the wall. "Did you sleep well?" I asked.

Yusei glanced in my direction once again. "For the most part..." I noticed that Yusei had bags under his eyes and his skin was a little paler than usual.

"Did you get anything to eat at breakfast?" I asked.

"...Wasn't hungry!" he answered sharply. I could take the hint. I knew that Yusei had something on his mind that he'd rather not discuss with anyone, and my talking to him seemed to be irritating him. I knew that whatever Yusei was thinking about was connected to yesterday. I didn't want to be a pest, so I decided to leave him be. After all, if he wanted to talk about it with me, he could, but I wouldn't force him.

I put my earphones in again and yawned, leaning back on the couch. I kept my eyes locked on Yusei as he focused his gaze on something outside. His expression never wavered, eyes never blinking. A moment passed and he sighed, walking out onto the balcony.

I had become apparent to me that I had now been listening to the same song since I had gotten up this morning, so I began to rummage through the songs on my phone to find something else to listen to, though a shadow soon obscured the view I had of my phone.

I looked up to see Akiza, who seemed to have been visibly shaken by something.

"Tyler..." Akiza muttered, a somber look on her face. I couldn't hear her, but I knew what she said.

"Wh-what is it?" I asked, taking my earphones out as she sat down beside me.

"You were right..." She said looking down. "About Sayer, I mean. Mina showed me some of the documents from the Arcadia Movement. He kidnapped innocent children and brainwashed them, and if they didn't meet his standards, he would..." Akiza struggled as she said these next words. "...kill them... I know it's not exactly the same as what happened to you, I know now that you're not a Psychic Duelist, but I-"

"He was going to kill Leo and brainwash Luna..." I muttered. "They're so young. It wasn't fair for Sayer to do that."

Akiza nodded. "He used everyone at the Arcadia Movement... I don't know what to think... I know part of me should be angry that he used me. But in a way, I used him, didn't I? I mean, he took me in and gave me a home when no one else wanted me." The distress in her voice was becoming more apparent now, and I watched with dismay as Akiza's hands started to shake. It pained me beyond belief to see such a strong-willed, independent and powerful young woman like Akiza become someone so... I couldn't even describe it...

I wrapped my hands around hers, and Akiza twitched, before she tightened her grip slightly and returned my gesture, entrapping my thumbs between one of her fingers and the side of her hand. "Don't look for people to guide you. Look for support, but not someone to follow..." I muttered. "You and Yusei and everyone else have been so accepting of me and I can't, I _can't_, tell you how much that means to me... how much... you all mean to me..."

Akiza's cheeks reddened slightly as the two of us stared silently into each other's eyes. God, she's beautiful! When I realized how what I said could've come across, I sighed, only blushing when my stomach growled. "I'd better go get something to eat..." I said.

"That's right. You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Akiza asked. I shook my head, getting up off the couch. "Be sure to get something healthy." Akiza advised. I chuckled, turning to leave and head for the dining room.

As soon as I was out of Akiza's sight, I groaned. The Hell is the matter with me? Saying sappy crap like that?! She probably thinks I have a crush on her now or something! I mean, I sort of do, but she doesn't have to know that! Look, for the moment, it's all too complicated, and she probably doesn't like me that way anyway. Besides, food! Eating!

"Good morning, Tyler!" Luna's voice chirped. I turned around and met her face-to-face, the cheerful expression she had on her face yesterday still present, which was fantastic.

"Good morning, Luna!" I smiled, returning Luna's enthusiasm.

"Have you seen Yusei?" she asked softly.

My smile dropped a little. "He's with Akiza, but he's just staring out into space."

"Ok, thanks!" Luna nodded, "You skipped out on breakfast though. You should probably eat something!" she added, before running off to where I just was.

Dining room... Now... It's right before lunch, so they'll probably have the cold stuff out first... Unless they've still got stuff leftover from breakfast. If that's the case then – Wait, why am I over-thinking this? It's just food! But... food is pretty good.

I shook my head as I entered the room. "Hey, Tyler!" my eyes darted up and I saw Leo running towards me.

"Oh... hey..." I muttered.

"What's up? You don't sound so good." Leo stated.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just a little off from hunger..." I murmured.

"Oh?" Leo grinned, pulling at my wrist and leading me over to the buffet table. "Well check out this spread! Saving the world has its perks!" Leo smiled as he grabbed a plate and started piling food onto it.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" I asked, concerned.

"No way! I ate breakfast an hour ago, that's far too long!" Leo insisted.

"Right... Well I skipped out on breakfast..." that's probably why I'm feeling off. I'm not afraid of the Dark Signers. I'm not afraid of death... At least for now that's what I'd tell myself as my breathing escalated. I must've been breathing far too loudly as Leo looked over at me.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah... I-uh-" I began, before promptly staggering back into a chair. "I'm cool, I'm cool. Just gimme a minute..." I sighed.

Leo nodded and went back to piling mountains of food onto his plate, then promptly eating it, and repeating the process several times over. I swear, Leo must have hollow legs.

"Leo!" I heard Luna yell. I looked over and saw her rush in close to Leo. "You ate breakfast an hour ago!" she shouted matter-of-factly, as if it shouldn't be humanly possible that Leo could still be eating. "Tyler's the only one who should be eating, he skipped breakfast!"

"So? I'm hungry!" Leo grinned before munching on a sandwich.

"I can't believe you!" Luna puffed her cheeks. "You should be preparing for the trip to the Satellite, not stuffing your face!"

Leo's face darkened instantly. "I'm not going with you..." he muttered. I saw Luna's eyes widen. "I'm not a Signer... I don't have a reason to!"

"Leo, I'm not a Signer either, but I'm still going." I said, getting up and grabbing a sandwich.

"Yeah, but Goodwin said you're still important. You can see and talk to Duel Spirits. You can protect Luna better than I can..." Leo stated. "The most I could do is stand out on the sidelines shouting like a dork..."

"Don't you get it?" Luna asked as tears began to flow from her eyes. "I'm scared, Leo. More than I've ever been. I want you there standing on the sidelines shouting like a dork. I can't do this without you..." Luna muttered, burying her face in Leo's chest, sobbing.

I was caught a little off-guard by how emotional the situation had become in such a short amount of time. I felt like I needed to say something to try to break the ice and ease the tension, though this did seem like more like family business. But what Yusei said before... 'My friends are my business'...

"Luna, I..." Leo stammered.

"Leo, c'mon!" I spoke up. "You're her _brother_. You're _family_. What better reason is there than that?"

"Tyler..." Leo muttered.

"Besides, wouldn't you wanna be there to witness your sister totally own the Dark Signers?" I continued. "Imagine missing that!" I wanted to simply state the fact that Luna was still crying her eyes out, soaking her brother's shirt with her tears, and that it's crazy that he's even thinking about not going: she's his sister, for crying out loud! "Look, I know this has nothing to do with me, but you guys are really lucky that you have each other... Just think about it, alright?"

Leo nodded slowly, before looking down at Luna, who's sobbing had quietened down considerably, though I noticed that her grip had tightened on Leo. Seeing the twins in their current states reminded that they were still children, and this whole thing involving the Dark Signers – especially my encouragement towards them going to Satellite, wasn't exactly the safest thing. If I was their age, and in their position, there's no way in Hell I'd be wanting to go... but Luna was so psyched after the meeting with Goodwin, and now...

"Hey, um. Could you let me and my sister talk in private?" Leo asked me.

"Yeah, of course." I nodded, walking over to grab a sandwich before making my leave. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Yusei, Jack, and Mina on the grass having a conversation. The feeling I had, I knew it was almost time to go.

I should've exited the dining room and gone straight out to meet with the others, but I didn't. I doubled back and went into the guest room where I was staying, which was surprisingly barren in comparison to the main rooms. I grabbed my phone, Torunka's staff, my Duel Disk and my deck. Even though I'm not a Signer, if there was even the slightest chance of me being able to help out in a Duel or otherwise, I would do it. Especially if it would take some of the pressure off Luna.

I gasped as my deck lit up. I flicked through the cards and saw that Explosivo was shining brightly. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. When the light dimmed, I found I was no longer in the room. I was in the forest in the Spirit World. "Oh, crap..." I muttered. Out of all of the times I had to be transported to the Spirit World against my will, it had to be right before we're supposed to leave for the Satellite! This was seriously the worst timing ever!

"Tyler..." a masculine voice echoed. I turned and saw Explosivo walking towards me, stopping a few feet in front of me. "Do not be alarmed..." he muttered.

Easier said than done! "Uh... O-o-okay... um... You're a Duel Spirit, right?" I asked, eyeing the sword in his hand, the blade reflecting the light of the sun. Explosivo nodded.

"I am... but for the purposes of this meeting, you could also say that... I am your guardian..." he said.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" I asked.

"On your father's deathbed, he gave you this card, remember?" he asked, pulling a card of himself seemingly out of nowhere.

I shook my head. "I don't remember much about my past..." I murmured. The sudden realization of my father's passing didn't strike me until almost half a minute later. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on... my dad's dead?"

"Yes, Tyler. I'm sorry." Explosivo apologized.

In my mind, I think Explosivo thought I'd take the news really badly, but to be honest, I didn't really feel anything. The news of my father's death didn't really affect me because I didn't really know anything about him. I had no connection to him, and I didn't even know if he was still alive anyway, as all Joel had mentioned was that I had a stepfather and a mother. At least now I got a little bit of closure on something that I can't deny I had been thinking about, if only for a little bit.

"Hmmm?"

"In your father's will, you were told that, through me, you would always be protected..."

At face value, I had to admit that it was touching to find that my father had tasked a Duel Spirit to 'protect' me in his absence, and that Explosivo had been upholding the wishes of my father. Once I took a moment to think about this however, my eyes widened and I grew angry.

"That's a load of bullshit!" I shouted, catching Explosivo somewhat off-guard. "If you're supposed to protect me, why did you let me get brainwashed into the Arcadia Movement?" I asked, irritated.

"I cannot interfere with the will of the Crimson Dragon, Tyler. If you hadn't been brainwashed, you never would've met Luna or Akiza. This was all part of the Crimson Dragon's plan." Explosivo stated.

My mentality was shattered in that instant as it became apparent that the source of all the anguish I felt was nothing more than the will of some higher power. And if Explosivo was a part of this as well, that would've meant that Taze and Joel, my running away to the Satellite, Sayer capturing me, everything was...? "You _let_ me get brainwashed?!" I repeated.

"I had to. I told you, I can't go against the will of the Crimson Dragon." Explosivo asserted.

"Oh yeah, sure. Let's just get this kid brainwashed and fuck up his whole life! No big deal! You know what? Fuck you! Fuck the Dark Signers! Fuck everything! In fact, why don't I just kill myself? That way, you guys won't be able to use me as some collateral bullshit!" I vented angrily. The scariest part was that I was actually considering it. "You brought me here, so send me back!" I ordered.

Explosivo shook his head. "Not while you're in this state of mind."

"Alright, you listen here!" I shouted. "I'm only in this state of mind because of what you did! Maybe if you had've just left me the fuck alone, I wouldn't be wanting to just give up like this!"

"You weren't happy. You were anything but happy."

"Well I don't know that for sure now, do I?!" I retorted. "All I can go by is what people tell me and I'm sick of it!"

"You really think that's what matters?" Explosivo asked me. "There is more going on than you are aware of, and I have been trying my best to not only abide by what the Crimson Dragon desires, but also follow your father's wishes. I know that you don't want to hear this right now, but everything doesn't revolve around you and how you feel. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on what's about to happen. It doesn't matter that you don't have a Signer Mark, dark times are coming... and you are needed..."

Most of what Explosivo had said ran right over the top of me. All I could think about was Explosivo telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself. How dare he?! He had no right to tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself!

"It is SO easy for you to tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself, or for me to get over it or whatever. 'Cause this hasn't happened to you, okay? You're not the one who's got less than one month's worth of memories. YOU'RE the one who caused this! How would you feel if I killed someone close to you and then told you to get over it?"

"That's not the same thing, and you know it!"

"It's exactly the same thing! Joel was right: without my memories, I'm not the same person. The old Tyler is dead." I began to feel an intense pain on the left side of my chest, as if my heart was about to burst. For a second, I hoped that it would. When I noticed Explosivo walking towards me, his helmet obscuring his expression, I then hoped that he'd drive that sword through my body, but he didn't.

"Look at me..." Explosivo muttered, his free hand tipping my chin up, forcing me to stare into his strange and unholy yellow eyes. "I promise you, Tyler, that once the Dark Signers are taken care of, things can, and will go back to normal. As Joel said, your family will accept you with open arms. You won't regain your memories, but you will have the support that you need to carry on with your life. For now though, you need to know that you have more power than you realize, Tyler. Don't give up..." he muttered, bringing his finger away from my chin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. I didn't get an answer though, as he receded into the shadow of a tree, and I was overtaken with a bright light.

When it faded, I saw that I was back in my room. I wanted to take a moment to just think things over, but I didn't know how much time had passed. For all I knew, the others were all waiting on me. I didn't want to admit it, but Explosivo was right: I had to stop pitying myself. The past is the past. My only hope, was that I would be of some use to Yusei and the others. Looking at the Explosivo card in my hand, I hurriedly ran out of my room to meet with the Signers.

"Tyler, where were you!? We've been waiting!" Leo shouted.

"Sorry, I got... caught up with something..." I sighed. "But you're coming, right?" I asked.

"Of course! Yusei and the others will take the Dark Signers down!" Leo threw his fist into the air, and I couldn't help but smile. It looked like Leo and Luna had sorted things out. The smile left my face as Yusei walked over to me.

"Tyler, I'm sorry about how I was acting before. It was nothing against you, it's just... I've been having difficulties of my own the past few days. Anyway, um... Are you ready for this?" Yusei asked. I nodded, my smile slightly returning.

"Just don't do anything to hold us back, okay?" Jack glared daggers at me. I nodded once again.

"Well, this is it..." Luna muttered.

"Let's stay on task..." Goodwin muttered. We all turned and saw him walk towards us. "You'll need to get to the original Momentum Reactor in the Satellite. Goodwin informed.

"Original _what_ now?" Akiza asked, puzzled.

"What's it do?" Leo asked.

"It's the source of the Negative Momentum which caused the black fog to appear. And in a twist of fate, it was built by Yusei's father!" Goodwin emphasized.

Everyone except me gasped. I didn't know what they were all talking about, so I just stood there silently.

"All of you have the chance to make things right again." Goodwin claimed. "You must beat the Dark Signers and shut down the reactor."

Goodwin was about to continue, but he stopped and we all looked up as a helicopter came in to land near us. Out stepped an older man dressed in a green Sector Security Uniform. He had massive eyebrows and a scar across his left cheek. He turned and saluted to Goodwin. "Officer Trudge reporting for duty, sir. We're fully fueled and ready for take-off."

"Excellent..." Goodwin muttered.

"Hope you packed some peanuts!" Yusei quipped, causing Trudge's eyes to widen.

"Yusei!? Goodwin, what the Hell is going on?!" Trudge asked enraged. "First you wanted him in the Facility and now you're letting him have a first-class ride!" Trudge shouted.

"Tetsu Trudge, nice to see you!" Mina walked up to him, smiling sweetly. Instantly, Trudge straightened up and blushed.

"Oh, hi... Mina..." Trudge murmured.

"Are we good to go?" Mina asked.

"Y-yes of cou-"

"Good. Everyone on board!" Mina ordered.

We all walked over to the helicopter. I didn't know about everyone else, but my legs were shaking like crazy. I'm pretty sure that my sweat was sweating.

"Wait..." Yusei cautioned, causing us all to stop and look back at him.

"What? Do you get airsick?" Leo asked. Now that Leo mentions it... Do _I_ get airsick? I mean, this might be my first time getting into any kind of aircraft. Holy crap! I can't do this! Yes you can, Tyler! You can do it! You've gotten this far, don't chicken out now... Don't chicken out!

"Before we go any further, I need you to promise me something..." Yusei muttered.

"What is it?" Goodwin asked, annoyed.

"If we are successful in taking down the Dark Signers, I want you to finish the construction of the Daedalus Bridge. People have a right to be free, and I won't go unless you agree..." Yusei said.

"That may not be possible, Yusei..." Goodwin muttered.

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" Yusei asked.

"The people in New Domino have lived apart from the people of the Satellite for years. There is an obvious difference in class between the two. It's a way of life that everyone accepts. You have to know that change takes time."

"Then you'll have to find yourself another Signer, because if you don't promise me this then I'm not going." Yusei said.

Goodwin and Yusei starred at each other for a long time. A very, very, very l- "Okay, I'll finish the bridge..." Goodwin muttered as Yusei nodded.

Everyone else turned back around and started boarding the helicopter. I went and took the spot at the far end, next to Luna, as she and Leo didn't take up much room on the seat together.

"You've got some well-wishers starboard." Trudge informed. Yusei, Luna, Leo and I looked back around and saw the old guy and the muscular man who helped rescue Luna at the Arcadia Movement below us, waving. I was wondering where they disappeared off to. I shook my head as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, switching it onto Flight Mode, and plugging my earphones in. Closing my eyes, I let the music drown out my surroundings as I was once again alone with my thoughts.


	10. A Plan Taketh Shape

I didn't know how long it had been, music playing in my ears in no particular order, each song seemingly melding into one. The intensity of the environment became apparent as the sound of thunder cracked and broke through the music, if only for a moment. I could feel us begin to descend closer and closer to the ground, a sickening feeling rising in my stomach, quite similar to the feeling I had before we took off.

As the rotorcraft touched down, I opened my eyes wearily and I saw everyone around me getting up out of their seats. I yawned, unplugging my earphones and packing my phone away. "Good to see you're back in the world of the living..." Jack murmured.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking across at him.

"You've been listening to that thing for the whole ride over." Akiza added.

"Oh, was it a little bit loud?" I asked.

"No, it's just..." Jack sighed. "Never mind. C'mon." Jack motioned, Akiza giggling as the two of them, along with everyone else, got up out of their seats and walked over to craft's exit.

I got up out of my seat and went over to the helicopter's doors as they opened to reveal... An orphanage? Why the Hell would Yusei wanna come to an orphanage? Regardless of whatever nostalgia Yusei had for this place, I continued down the walkway, following behind Jack until I had reached the ground below. The building itself, even just by looking at it, felt very familiar to me. The entire surrounding area in fact felt very familiar to me.

As I refocused on the front of the building, a tan woman, probably in her late thirties came over to me in delight. She wore a nun outfit and had her hair styled into a kind of dreadlock. "Tyler! It's so great to see you again!" the woman cried, embracing me in a maternal fashion. I kept my arms at my side as the woman tightened her grip around me just a tad. I shot Jack a confused glance and thankfully, he piped up.

"Uh, Martha. Tyler's having a bit of trouble with his memory."

"Memory trouble? In what way?" she asked, loosening her grip before pulling away from me.

"Well, um... Tyler's got amnesia. He doesn't remember you." Jack said bluntly.

"Couldn't you have phrased that a little better?" I asked.

"Well the way that you were lookin' at me before..." Jack said defensively.

"Is this true, Tyler? Do you not remember who I am?" Martha asked, a look of concern making its way onto her face.

"No ma'am, I don't. I'm sorry." I apologized.

"You don't need to apologize for having amnesia." Martha smiled softly, though I could tell that she was still a little shocked. "Do you know how it happened?"

"Y-yes..." I stammered. "I was brainwashed a while back. It's a long story. I don't wanna bore you with the details..." I said, lacking the desire to talk about my predicament.

"That's alright. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry. But I'll be happy to listen if you do..." Martha muttered.

"Thanks, but... I'd rather not go into it..." I said, trying to sound as nice as possible, but I think I still came across as a little cold.

"Alright then." Martha nodded as Yusei approached her and the two of them began striking up a conversation, mostly to do with me actually. I tried not to listen, but hearing them talk about things that had happened that I was a part of really made me wonder what kind of person I was before. I hadn't actually thought about this yet. I mean, I had thought about what my life might've been like if I wasn't involved in any of this, but not what I myself would be like – my feelings, my desires, my personality. Was I like what Explosivo had described? Was I _really_ not happy with my old life?

"...apart from that though, things do seem quiet around here..." Yusei noted.

"Yes, That's because, well... I... I think it would be best if you all came inside..." Martha raised her voice a little at the end as she motioned to the door. Yusei, Jack and Akiza nodded, following Martha back inside the orphanage. I hesitated for a second, not really sure if I should be going in or not. My hesitation ended as Trudge walked in front of me.

"Are you coming, or what?" he asked as Mina followed behind him.

I sighed a little as Leo and Luna inched closer to me. "These Satellite kids are weird..." Leo muttered as several pairs of eyes cautiously observed our actions as we followed Mina and Trudge into the house.

"Y-yeah... W-well... At least they seem friendly... A-and we have Tyler to protect us, right?" Luna asked, looking back up at me.

"You got it!" I smiled. These kids seemed to be perfectly normal. I didn't really get why Leo and Luna were so freaked out about them. Maybe it's because the twins grew up in New Domino City for their whole lives and hadn't really experienced life in the Satellite. I did think that it was a little bit odd of Luna to suggest that the kids might attack us, but I didn't say anything.

"Everyone, take a seat..." Martha ordered. We all did as instructed and sat down at the dining table. "Yesterday, a strange fog appeared out of nowhere and swallowed up the residential area of the Satellite. When it cleared, there was nobody around."

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked.

"They vanished. No bodies or anything. They just weren't there anymore." Martha looked on, obviously saddened by the events. "I'm worried that something terrible has happened to Crow, Rally and the others..."

Yusei's face darkened. "No... Then it's..."

I caught sight of Yusei's expression. The same one he had after talking with Goodwin. There was something behind it all, there had to be. This fog was related to the Dark Signers, related to what Goodwin told us, and if Yusei was going to go back to how he was, I needed to step in. "Yusei, can I speak with you in private for a moment?" I asked.

"Tyler, we're in the middle of a-"

"Yusei... please..."

Yusei sighed, before nodding, probably knowing that I wouldn't let it go. "Excuse us." Yusei said as we made our leave, walking out of the house and over to a spot near an old tree trunk.

"Yusei... What's up?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Yusei replied with a question of his own.

"When Goodwin was talking about the Dark Signers earlier... I dunno, it just felt like you knew more than what Goodwin told us. You know something... It's got to do with what's been going on here as well... It's why you felt the need to apologize to me before... Whatever's going on, Yusei, you can tell me. Please, tell me..." I pleaded.

Yusei sighed. "I didn't wanna tell you, because I was afraid it would put unnecessary pressure on you. I know it must be tough, what you're going through."

"If it was gonna put pressure on me, I wouldn't be asking. Please, Yusei."

Yusei sighed, obviously trying to form the right words to explain what he wanted to say to me. "When you were in the Satellite, you were a part of a Duel Gang called Team Satisfaction with me, Jack, and two others, Crow Hogan and Kalin Kessler. Kalin was arrested for resisting Sector Security and was taken to The Facility, where he was rumored to have died. But I met with him awhile back... He's a Dark Signer now..." Yusei muttered.

I thought back to the vision I had during the Fortune Cup, where I was standing in the Satellite with Yusei and Jack. That would've meant that those other two must've been 'Crow' and 'Kalin'. "Kalin? I think I remember him!" I exclaimed. "Does he have white hair and dull, grayish-colored eyes?" I asked.

Yusei nodded. "Yeah... Tyler, what do-"

"I remember talking with you guys in the Satellite about taking down the other Duel Gangs, but... how did he...?" I stumbled.

"I'm not sure..." Yusei muttered. "I faced Kalin in a Shadow Duel a few days ago. He's completely different now... He's got a new deck full of even stronger monsters. I'm sure you've seen something like it... an Earthbound Immortal?" Yusei asked.

My eyes widened. "Misty summoned some Earthbound card during her duel with Akiza..." I muttered.

Yusei nodded. "I see... Well, is that all you wanted me to talk to you about?"

"More or less."

"Then let's continue this conversation with the others..." Yusei said, motioning for me to follow him as we headed back inside the house.

"Team Satisfaction? Really?" I asked at the doorway.

"The name was Jack's idea." Yusei chuckled. "And I'm really happy that you remember a bit about what happened in Satellite."

I smiled. "Yeah... Me too..."

Yusei and I returned to the table, where everybody was still seated. I saw that Martha and Akiza were having a nice long chat, giggling and smiling.

"Oh, Yusei. You were right, Akiza is a charmer isn't she?" Martha smiled as Yusei blushed and I took my seat in between Luna and Jack. "And how are you two doing now?" Martha asked.

"A lot better, thank you..." I murmured.

"What about you, Yusei? Are you still afraid to go up against Kalin?" Martha asked.

Yusei looked down at the table. "Not anymore... His Earthbound Immortal still scares me, and the fact that Kalin is a Dark Signer kinda scares me... But as for me doubting myself about whether or not I can face him again because we used to be friends, I'm not worried anymore..." Yusei said, determined. "After all, my real friends are right here-"

"Whoa! Hold on!" Jack cautioned. "I'm not your friend. I just came here to stop the Dark Signers!"

"Sorry Jack, but like it or not, we have to be friends. Our friendship is what's strong enough to take these guys on..." Yusei said, clenching his fists. While that first part wasn't necessarily true, Yusei did have a point: without support, without a need, without a call, I would be nothing.

"Listen to you, you're becoming quite the young man..." Martha smiled, while I nearly gagged. The tone of her voice made it sound like she was either hitting on Yusei, or just about to start. "So does this mean that you're going to fight the Dark Signers?" Martha asked eagerly. Yusei nodded. "Well..." Martha began, rising from her seat. "Before you head off, you have to eat. You can't save the world on an empty stomach."

"All right!" Leo cheered. "When do we eat?"

"Leo!" Luna nudged Leo in the side. "Don't be so rude!"

"It's quite alright." Martha assured. "Dinner will take a while to be ready, so all of you feel free to make yourselves at home."

I nodded as everyone got up out of their seats and left the room, Leo and Luna following close behind. "Tyler, we should stay close together, shouldn't we?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, these Satellite kids may look nice, but they're kinda creepy." Leo added.

"Well I wouldn't call them creepy." I began. "These kids have probably grown up in really harsh circumstances... Death, violence, substance abuse... It's a miracle they're all so cheerful and not moping around feeling sorry for themselves..." I proceeded to look down at the floor as I recalled again what Explosivo had said to me about me feeling sorry for myself. "I guess it's good that I don't remember much about what it was like when I was here..." I murmured. "I mean, if I left, as Joel said, a perfectly good home in New Domino for something like this, then maybe I..."

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Leo sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"You don't need to be..." I smiled faintly as the three of us walked outside. Leo probably thought that his comment brought up some things that I didn't really want to talk about. In a way, it did. But it also reminded me of something that I needed to say. "I should be... What happened at the hospital, I'm sorry for acting like that. I used words I shouldn't have..." I muttered. "It's just... no... there's no excuse for how I acted. I want you both to promise me that you won't repeat any of the bad words I've said. Can you do that for me?" I asked as Leo and Luna nodded quickly.

We reached a tree that created some shade and I breathed heavily, taking in the sounds of my surroundings. We all gently sat down, resting against the trunk as I laid back and closed my eyes.

* * *

"Tyler!"

"Leo, don't!"

I groaned as I felt someone shake me. I opened my eyes to see Leo trying to drag me up by my wrist and Luna standing behind him.

"Yeah?" I asked, the irritation clear in my voice.

"Dinner is ready! C'mon!" Leo shouted, trying to pull me up again as Luna looked on, rolling her eyes at her brother's futile attempts.

"Okay..." I groaned again, getting up and wiping the grass and ants off my uniform.

"Sorry about Leo, Tyler..." Luna muttered.

"No, I-" I stammered, as I heard the rustling of a bush behind me. As quickly as it began, it stopped.

"You okay?" Luna asked.

I looked around cautiously before turning to Luna. "Yeah... I'm fine..." I said as we followed Leo inside who was charging ahead triumphantly.

We reached the dining room again and I took a step back. There were now many kids sitting at the table along with Yusei, Jack, Akiza, Trudge, Mina and Martha... and they were all staring.

"Sorry... we're... late..." I said awkwardly.

"Tyler was just taking a nap!" Leo grinned, before taking one of the empty seats.

"That's quite alright. We were waiting for the soup to cool down anyway." smiled Martha. I took the empty seat next to a brown-haired boy as everyone turned to face the front of the table. "Please eat up, everyone." Martha said.

I looked down at my bowl of soup. To be honest, I couldn't really make out what was in the soup itself, but that didn't really bother me. I'd be grateful to have anything at all. Besides, I'd eat pretty much anything anyway. Well, except for mushrooms, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, beetroot, cabbage, squash, and renkon.

Oh, wait, and fish.

I hesitantly took a spoonful after seeing Leo stick his tongue out and mention his displeasure at the taste. It wasn't bad at all. In fact, I preferred this over the sandwiches that Goodwin had at his mansion.

"This is delicious!" the boy next to me said.

"The cool guy from Security whipped it up for us!" a spiky haired boy exclaimed, causing my head, along with everyone else's to turn slowly towards Trudge, who began to blush. Trudge, the guy from Sector Security cooked this? Seriously?

"Well, I... uhh..." Trudge stuttered.

"Thanks mister! It's really good!" a black-haired girl said cheerfully.

"Yeah, thanks!" the brown-haired girl beside her smiled before we all returned to our food and no one said anything for a while.

"Hey kids." Yusei said, looking up. "If we're able to win this next battle, Goodwin's gonna finish building the Daedalus Bridge. That bridge'll bring people together. It'll signal the beginning of a new era where you guys can grow up to become anything you want." Yusei smiled.

"All right!" the brown-haired kid next to me cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

I saw a bright light appear outside as the sound of thunder and shattering glass filled our ears as shards of the lightbulbs fell down from the ceiling.

"What was that?" Yusei asked, as he tried to shield some of the kids from the debris.

"Is everyone alright?" Martha asked as she got up and Leo and Luna ran over to me, both gripping my arms tightly.

The entire group went silent as a chilling laugh was heard. Yusei and I directed our attention to outside, where we saw a hooded man's shadow.

"Who are you?" Yusei called out. "What do you want with us?"

The man took off his hood. "My name is Roman, and I am a Dark Signer who bears the Mark of the Spider." he said as he lifted his arm up into view, causing Yusei to gasp.

"Yusei?" I asked, turning to him.

"The Mark of the Spider... That's what the Crimson Dragon showed us at the Fortune Cup..." Yusei muttered.

"I heard we had four Signers visiting. I thought I'd come welcome you." Roman said smugly. "Of course, we Dark Signers have only one way of saying hello..." Roman slotted a Duel Disk over his arm.

"Bring it on, bub!" Jack asserted as he charged at Roman, but Yusei put his arm out to stop him.

"We can't duel here, it's not safe. Everyone'll get swallowed up if he summons his Earthbound Immortal..." Yusei said.

"So what do we do then?" I asked.

Yusei turned back to me. "I'll try to lead Roman away. You and Jack will need to look after Martha and the kids."

Jack and I both nodded as I turned back to Leo and Luna, who were still gripping my arms tightly. "C'mon..." I muttered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yusei open a window, Yusei climb through it and Akiza run out after him.

"Don't lag behind!" Trudge ordered as we maintained a steady pace towards what I assumed would be a safer place than where we currently were. After fifteen minutes of walking, both Jack and Luna's Signer Marks lit up.

"Does that mean...?" I began.

"The Duel is starting..." Jack murmured.

"I'm scared..." Luna muttered.

Everyone stopped behind Martha as she stopped at a single wooden door before opening it slightly and turning back to us. "In here, everyone." Martha ordered.

"Taka's not with us!" a black-haired girl cried.

"Neither are Yuki and Hiro!" another girl added.

"Where are they?" Martha asked worriedly, before looking up towards the ceiling and running off from where we came.

"Martha!" Jack cried, as he and Trudge ran after her.

Leo turned to me. "What do we do now?" he asked.

It may've been the sudden hit of forced responsibility, or the fact that all of the other kids were now looking up at me expectantly, but I was truly dumbfounded on what to do. "I... Uh... I guess we just wait it out in here..." I muttered, as I opened the door wider and allowed the others to walk in.

Mina stopped beside me and smiled, as if acknowledging my decision.

The storeroom was barely big enough, but we all made ourselves at home. There was a little tinned food which made me wonder why we didn't have that for dinner instead of the soup. I mean, I liked the soup, but I would've killed to have some meat. Even some tinned stuff.

The kids all seemed to be worried about Yusei and all the others, but I wasn't. Whoever this Roman douche was, I had complete faith that Yusei would be able to win against him. In fact, I'd say that Yusei would probably be able to beat all of these Dark Signers one-on-one without breaking a sweat.

I once again became preoccupied with my phone, which I tinkered with for a while, before a sharp pain in my chest caused me to drop my phone, clutch my chest, and close my eyes abruptly.

"Tyler, you alright?" Leo asked.

I nodded as my eyelids shot open as an earthquake seemed to simultaneously accompany my pain. Leo and Luna huddled together next to me, as I began to, for some reason or another, find it harder for me to breathe. I noticed Luna's Signer Mark was letting out a blinding red light, before it created a semi-transparent red bubble around her, Leo and myself, the pain in my chest quickly subsiding.

"What in the-" I started.

"We should be safe now..." Luna muttered.

"You really are something else!" I smiled. The bits of debris which fell down from the corners of the building harmlessly bounced off the bubble as the earthquake eventually stopped.

"Is everyone okay?" Mina asked. I quickly turned, grabbing my phone and Torunka's staff as I ran out of the storeroom.

"Tyler! Where are you going?" Mina asked.

"Something crazy's gone down with Yusei, I just know it. I'm going down there..." I muttered. "Take care of the others!"

"W-wait!" Luna called out. "Leo and I are coming too!"

Leo doubled back. "We are?"

"Yusei's our friend, we've got to do something!" Luna yelled. I nodded as we proceeded to run out of the hall, then out of the orphanage altogether. It was strange: I didn't remember where to go or where anything was, but I seemed to find my way around. Maybe it was something that subconsciously stayed with me in spite of the brainwashing.

I noticed that the streets were barren. The only other movement besides Luna, Leo and myself was the rustling of papers, cards and the odd tumbleweed. In the distance, I could see Yusei doubled over holding someone, before the person he was holding simply disappeared.

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna called out as we were joined by Jack, Akiza, Trudge, and the three kids who ran off.

"Where's Martha?" I asked. That simple remark brought tears to Yusei's eyes.

"She's..." Yusei's voice cracked, as if the next sentence was very difficult for him to say.

"Roman's Earthbound Immortal swallowed her..." Jack muttered.

"What?!" I yelled, looking back in the direction of the orphanage. Even though I couldn't remember Martha at all, she seemed very concerned when she learned of my 'predicament'. And in the short time I spent around her, I could tell that she was a very fine woman who only wanted the best for others. It wasn't fair... None of it was...

"Look at you all..." Roman muttered. I looked up at him and saw that he was now on top of a sunken building along with a few other people, who like him, were also wearing black robes and hoods. "It's no wonder the human race is going extinct. People are living to help others, it sickens me. No one's selfish anymore."

"Now be kind..." another hooded man said. "They did just watch a few of their friends and loved ones perish right before their eyes..." he taunted.

"Are they...?" Akiza began.

"Dead?" A grey-haired, dull-eyed man asked. "Don't worry. They're still very much alive. Their energy is being used to fuel the army of shadows, as well as everybody else who lived in this trash heap you call a town." he smiled before his eyes widened and he looked down at me. "Tyler... Long time no see!"

"K... Kalin?" I stammered.

"I haven't forgotten what you did!" Kalin screamed. "You and Yusei abandoned me! We were a team, and then you went behind me and stabbed me in the back!" Kalin snickered.

"Look, I don't know what the Hell you're going on about but-" I began.

"Of course you don't... " Kalin sighed before smiling again. "If you wanna get the others back, I'm right here!" Kalin broke out into a shrill laugh.

Yusei got to his feet. "Alright... It's time for you Dark Signers to pay!" Yusei yelled.

The tall man chuckled. "That's fine. But before you go ahead and cash out, I have something the little girl might be looking for..." the man proceeded to hold a card in his hand, which I could just barely make out as I heard Luna gasp.

"That's Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna cried.

"I believe this card should be in your deck," the man continued. "But if you want this card back then you'll have to come and duel me. In case you're wondering who I am..." the man proceeded to take of his hood. "My name's Devack, and I bear the Mark of the Monkey..." Monkey eh? Doesn't sound too intimidating...

"Fate has finally brought us together." Roman laughed. "Signer and Dark Signer. Let us meet tomorrow at the four stars of destiny!"

"Four stars of destiny?" I asked.

"You haven't heard? You sure are a slow bunch, aren't you?" Kalin jested. "The old Momentum Control Units... After the sun sets tomorrow, the hate to the Underworld will open and the King will rise again!" Kalin began cackling wildly once more.

"The end will be decided tomorrow at the Original Momentum Reactor..." Roman muttered as Kalin stopped laughing, and the group proceeded to walk off.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Yusei asked. "Don't you walk away from me, Roman!" Yusei shouted as he proceeded to run after the Dark Signers.

"Yusei, wait!" Akiza called out, but there was no response as Yusei ran into the dark fog. A few minutes later, Yusei came back.

"We've lost them..." Yusei muttered.

"They said they'll be at the first reactor, right?" I asked. Yusei nodded.

"We better get back and tell the kids what happened to Martha." Trudge said.

We all nodded and began walking. I turned back and saw Jack, who eyes were fixated on where the Dark Signers were standing. "Jack? You coming?" I asked.

"I thought she was dead..." Jack muttered. "That it was my... fault..."

"Who?" I asked. "Who did you think was dead?" I repeated.

Jack looked down at the ground, breathing through clenched teeth before turning to me. "I'm gonna put these Dark Signers in their place."

"Jack...?" I asked.

"Tyler, we don't have much time. Let's head back to meet the others..." Jack said quietly, before turning back in the direction of the orphanage.

* * *

Jack and I had just got back to the orphanage, and were now witness to a lot of crying kids who had crowded around Yusei.

"We're sorry!" Taka cried. "It's all my fault!"

"No, it's mine!" Yuki cried.

"I should've told you guys not to go. It's my fault!" Hiro cried.

"Shut up!" Jack shouted, slamming his fist on the doorframe. "Stop trying to take credit for everything!"

"What Jack means to say is, you're not the ones to blame. This is all the doing of the Dark Signers..." Yusei said.

"It doesn't matter, Martha's still gone!" a black-haired girl cried before bursting into tears.

"Kids, it's alright. Martha's not dead, her soul has just been absorbed by a giant... spider... thing... Okay, the point is, we still have a chance to get her back, along with everyone else." I said, trying to defuse the tension of the situation.

"Tyler's right." Yusei began. "We're gonna defeat the Dark Signers and get everyone back!"

"You can do that?!" the same girl asked, wiping away her tears.

"Yeah, we can..." Yusei murmured, before leaning down and putting his hands on two kid's shoulders. "Don't worry. My friends and I will fix everything. But what we need from you right now is to stay positive and take care of everyone that's still here. Can you do that for me?" Yusei asked.

"You bet!" all the kids cheered.

"We've got to head out to the Nazca Lines in the B.A.D. Area soon, but I promise we'll be back." Yusei said as the kids made their leave to another section of the orphanage.

"That was quite the promise you made out there!" Jack barked. "We defeat the Dark Signers and then everyone who disappeared will just magically reappear. You don't know that's true!"

"I know..." Yusei said softly.

"So why lie about it then?" Jack asked as Trudge grabbed Yusei by the shirt.

"We expect you to tell the truth!" he yelled.

"That's something I just need to believe!" Yusei said.

Jack growled before making his way over to the table, slamming his fist on it then sitting down.

"What about the kids? They deserve better than that, don't they?" Trudge asked as he hoisted Yusei into the air, Yusei not even trying to resist.

"Hey!" Leo yelled, pulling on Trudge's shirt. "Everyone's upset. Yusei's just tryin' to give us a little hope!"

Trudge growled, before letting go of Yusei's shirt. "To Hell with hope..." I heard him mutter.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm with Yusei." Akiza piped up. "If he says we have the power to bring everyone back, then I believe him!" Akiza said, determined.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Mina began. "Our primary objective is to shut down the reactor."

"Right." Yusei agreed. "We need to do what Goodwin told us to do."

"Fine, let's go be heroes..." Jack sighed.

"In order to beat the Dark Signers, we'll need to split up and head for the four control units that were built to maintain the original Momentum reactor. According to the reports, those four units were the first part of the system to break when the reactor malfunctioned." Mina turned to "In order to stop the flow of negative Momentum, you'll need to go to each of those control units and turn them on." Mina clarified.

"How are we supposed to turn on the control units?" Luna asked.

"The Signer Dragon cards in each of your decks... Those were the cards which were used to power up each of the control units." Mina turned to Luna. "So Luna, it's very important that you get Ancient Fairy Dragon back from Devack."

"How do you know all of this?" Yusei asked.

"Your father entrusted Mr. Goodwin with guarding those cards." Mina clarified.

"My father?" Yusei asked, pulling his Stardust Dragon out of his deck.

"If Goodwin knows so much about destiny, he must know how this whole thing is gonna turn out, right?" Jack pondered.

"It doesn't work like that. He doesn't know the future." Mina said. "But Goodwin is done playing his part. The baton has been passed onto you. The fate of the world is in your hands..." Mina pulled out a map of the B.A.D. Area and opened it out on a table. "These are the four Control Units." she said, pointing to each one.

"So what's the plan? Just hit these up one by one?" Trudge asked.

"That would be a huge waste of time!" Jack declared.

I nodded. "If we all went together, there's a very slim chance we'd be able to make the deadline. We'd make better use of our time if we each went to a different Control Unit." I said.

"Four Signers... Four Control Units..." Jack muttered. "It's a no-brainer."

"So who goes where?" Trudge asked.

"Kalin and I have some unfinished business..." Yusei muttered. "I'll head to the Giant's Control Unit."

"The Lizard is Misty's mark..." Akiza said softly. "I'll head to the Lizard's Control Unit."

"Devack has the Monkey and... I have to get Ancient Fairy Dragon back, so I'll go to the Monkey's Control Unit." Luna said.

"And I'm gonna come with so I can root for ya!" Leo cheered.

"I'll head to the Hummingbird's Control Unit..." Jack muttered.

"What about you, Tyler? Who are you gonna go with?" Yusei asked.

"I..." I stammered. It seemed like a bigger decision than it needed to be, and I already knew who I wanted... no, had to go with. "It's my destiny to help Luna rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon, so I'll go with her." I said, before turning to Luna. "I-if that's okay..."

"You bet!" Luna smiled.

"Would you three like a ride to your Duel in a Sector Security car?" Trudge asked. Luna nodded.

"If it's not too much trouble," Mina began. "I'll go with you, Akiza." Akiza nodded.

"All right! Tomorrow we save our homes!" Yusei cheered.


	11. The Return – Promises Fulfilled

It was early dawn now. We were all out the front of the orphanage about to go to the Nazca Lines in the B.A.D. Area. I wiped the sleep from my eyes as I yawned. We had been fortunate enough to be able to use the rest of yesterday to try and get ourselves prepared mentally for what might happen. I myself though just needed to sleep, but I wasn't able to get much rest, mostly because I was just really stressed out. I didn't even really have a need to be stressed, although, for some reason, I was.

"All right. Kids in the back, Tyler, in the passenger seat." Trudge ordered. We did as we were told and got into the car, and sat in our assigned seats. It's good that I got the passenger seat: It gave me extra room for my things. You see, for extra measure (and I'm pretty sure an inherent anti-socialist nature), I bought my Duel Disk, deck, Torunka's Staff, my phone and my earphones.

"This is it, you guys... Are you ready?" Yusei asked, turning to us in his Duel Runner gear.

"Yep!" Luna nodded.

"Let's hurry this up. We've got Duels to win. Just give us a rousing speech so we can head off!" Jack snapped.

"All right then." Yusei cleared his throat. Not that I don't love a good speech... "The Dark Signers are powerful, and now we are the only things standing in their way! If you should find yourself up against a wall, just think of the rest of us! We're all in this and even when we're apart, our Marks will always tie us together!" Yusei said, determinedly, before turning to the road ahead of us. "Now let's go show these creeps how we Signer's do things!" Yusei revved his Duel Runner and sped off.

"If any of you loses your Duel, you'll answer to me!" Jack said before speeding off.

"Make sure you've got your seat-belts on!" Trudge instructed.

"This car doesn't seem to have any seat-belts..." I muttered.

"Hold on tight!" Trudge shouted as he revved his engine and we began our journey to the Monkey's Control Unit. We took a left turn, exiting the orphanage as we entered, for lack of a better word, the slum area of Satellite.

I watched outside as a raven perched itself on a tree in passing. Its eyes were blood-red.

"Hey..." I heard Luna say softly before Leo screamed.

"Don't scare me like that, Luna!" Leo shouted.

"You scare me when you scream like that!" Luna protested, causing Leo to sigh.

"Everything okay?" I asked, turning around to face Leo.

"No, everything's not okay! Did you see that bird? It was the creepiest thing I've ever seen! It was like its eyes were staring into my soul!" Leo ranted.

"You shouldn't have come with us, Leo... You're all on edge..." Luna muttered.

"D-don't worry about me!" Leo said, wiping his finger across the bottom of his nose. "I'm just pretending to be scared so that you guys don't have to be scared... Yeah, that's it! I'm just pretending, see? Check it out!" Leo raved as he took out his Duel Disk. I chuckled, turning back to the road ahead.

"Why did you bring that?" Luna asked.

"I'm gearin' up! All right you Dark Signers, come out and get some!" Leo shouted.

"I'm the one who's gonna be Dueling..." Luna said.

I blinked and in a split-second, it was like I was on some weird acid trip. I heard a scream and I gasped as I returned to reality.

"Luna, you okay?" Leo asked worriedly.

"What was that screaming just now?" Luna panicked.

"You heard it too?" I asked, turning around to the twins once more.

"What screaming? I didn't hear anything!" Leo shouted.

Luna brought her hands up to the side of her head. "It was so loud and powerful... Like someone from the Spirit World is calling out to me... us..." Luna said, before looking at me.

"What did it sound like? Was it Ancient Fairy Dragon?" Leo asked.

"What's with all this Spirit World talk?" Trudge asked.

"Luna and Tyler can talk to Duel Monster Spirits from the Spirit World!" Leo clarified.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Trudge asked.

"No! It's true!" Leo argued.

"Right... And my sister can fly! She's got magic wings made of gold!" Trudge joked.

"Tyler! Tell 'em!" Leo shouted.

I sighed. "Okay... First, it's impossible to fly with gold wings. They'd be too heavy." I left a pause for effect, but no one laughed. Well at least _I_ thought it was funny! Regardless, I cleared my throat. "Second, the Spirit World does exist. I've been there at least twice in the last year." I said. Well actually, it was three times, but no one needed to know about my most recent encounter with my 'guardian'.

"You believe this crap too?" Trudge asked.

"Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter, but think of this: The Dark Signers are trying to resurrect the King of the Underworld by opening up a portal to Erebus with the power of Momentum. Don't you think that in comparison, the Spirit World doesn't seem as farfetched?" I asked, turning to Trudge.

"You're not changing my mind..." Trudge said.

"Your choice..." I sighed.

"Jerk..." Leo muttered.

"Tyler... Tyler..." a voice called.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Who are you talking to?" Trudge asked.

"It's me, Explosivo..." The voice whispered. "You need to come to the Spirit World right away..." he ordered. "The Ancient Fairy Dragon needs you..."

I immediately remembered what Mina had said, about it being important that the Ancient Fairy Dragon be saved, and I didn't need to hear anymore. I could've easily thought about it for a couple extra seconds, but there was no need: If Explosivo would keep his promise to me, then I would be able to keep my promise to Joel, and to Luna, and to everybody else. But most importantly, I'd be able to keep the promise I made to myself...

"Fine..." I sighed, as Explosivo's voice faded. I turned back around to Luna. Immediately I noticed the expression on her face. I could tell almost straight away that she had just gotten a visit from a Duel Spirit as well. "Did you-" I began.

"Kuribon came and told me..." Luna murmured. "Would you... come with me?" Luna asked, a desperation in her eyes. The message relayed was obviously the same.

"Of course..." I smiled.

"Thank you! I'll feel a lot better if you're by my side!" Luna smiled.

"What are you two babbling about?" Trudge asked.

"Close your eyes and take my hands." Luna said softly. I did as I was told and cupped Luna's hands in mine and closed my eyes as numbness overtook my body.

Once I regained feeling in my body, I opened my eyes and saw that Luna and I were now back in the same town in the Spirit World where I first met Torunka. Conveniently enough, Torunka came out from behind a barrel just as I let go of Luna's hands.

"Oh, Luna, Tyler! I've been waiting for you!" Torunka shouted, sounding relieved.

"Torunka!" Luna looked around the area, but besides the three of us, it was a practical ghost town. "Where's Regulus?" Luna asked.

"Well, you see..." Torunka stammered. "He's, um... been captured..." he explained.

"Captured?! What could have happened?!" Luna asked anxiously.

"Right when they were about to catch me, Regulus sacrificed himself for me." Torunka said.

"Don't tell me you-" Luna began.

"I'm so sorry." Torunka interrupted. "I bow my head in shame..."

"Then that means Regulus is in Zeman's castle now, right?" Luna asked.

"I would say so, yes." Torunka sighed.

"There's not much time, so we'll have to split up." Luna suggested. "I'll go with Torunka to save Regulus. Tyler, please search for Zeman."

"When I find him, what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Beat him up! Test out your karate on him or something. You know karate, don't you, Tyler?" Torunka asked, before chopping the air in front of me. "Haiii-yah!"

"I guess. But I don't think taking a violent approach with him will work." I said.

"Tyler's right!" Luna cut in. "This is serious! The only way to win is if we all work together, okay?" Luna asked. "Don't do anything risky until we get Regulus out of harm's way." Luna said. I nodded, but Torunka didn't give any kind of notable response. "Well, at least I know I can count on YOU Tyler." Luna said.

"What is that supposed to mean...?" Torunka asked.

"Why, nothing at all, Torunka! Let's get going!" Luna smiled. Kind of an odd passive-aggressive behavior for an eleven year old to have, but okay...

Luna and Torunka began walking through the other side of town as I headed up the dank cliffside. I had already been here once before, and the time it took me to reach Zeman's castle was greatly reduced as a result.

"That's strange..." I muttered. "The castle's unguarded..." I pulled Torunka's Staff out and kept it close as I opened the castle gate.

As I made my way into the main hall, I took a second to admire the castle's architecture, before heading straight for Zeman's throne room.

The door seemed to be bolted shut, but with one swift movement of the staff, I was able to blast open the door, revealing what looked to be a giant monkey with maroon-colored fur dressed in a cape, wearing what looked to be a burgundy skirt partially covered by some loincloth, sitting in a throne made of marble. And I thought Regulus was weird...

"How the Hell did you get in here?" he yelled, getting up from his throne. "Have my minions been sleeping on the job again?!"

"No one was around... I thought I'd make myself at home..." I said nonchalantly.

The monkey growled, before walking down the steps which receded from his seat. "You think you can just walk into my throne room? Do you have any idea who I am?" I stayed silent. "I am Zeman, the Ape King, and Demon Ruler of this realm... And you: your resistance is futile! Just like the other Duel Spirits who revolt, you will be dealt with."

"You think I am a Duel Spirit?" I asked. "Wow, you really are a dumb animal!" I taunted. "Look at me. It's pretty obvious I'm a human!" I said.

"A human? Here?" Zeman asked, still sounding confused.

"Dude, I'm standing, like, right in front of you."

"What is your purpose here?!" Zeman demanded.

"I've been sent here to take you down!" I said, lowering the pitch of my voice just a tad.

"Whatever you are, your death will empower Devack." Zeman declared, my eyes widening.

"Wait, so... You're openly working with the Dark Signers?!" I asked.

"Of course! I am owed a great deal of debt by the King of the Underworld, and this is one way that I will be able to secure my place on a much larger throne! Once the portal to the Underworld has been opened, we will be able to fully cross over into the human world and plunge it into darkness!" Zeman explained.

"Besides explaining your entire plan to me, you've got one flaw in your plan..."

"And what would that be?" Zeman asked.

"You'd have to get through me first!" I shouted, tensing a little.

Zeman laughed as a Minus Staff appeared in his hand. "Consider it an honor to die by my hand, human!" Zeman raised his staff at me before I could react, only allowing enough time for a bunch of obscenities to race through my head. In a flash of light, Zeman's staff was knocked out of his hand. "What is this? My Minus Staff...?!"

I looked around for the perpetrator of the attack, but couldn't see anyone in my immediate view. Then I felt this presence overcome me, and I looked up and saw him: Explosivo.

"You...!" Zeman roared as Explosivo dropped down next to me.

"Thanks..." I muttered.

"I told you: through me, you would always be protected." Explosivo smiled before drawing his sword and facing Zeman. "Your conflict is with me now!" Explosivo shouted as he charged at Zeman.

I watched as Explosivo and Zeman engaged in battle when I realized: I still had Torunka's Staff! My grip on the staff tightened as I focused all my efforts before blasting Zeman in the chest, allowing Explosivo to gain the advantage for an instant. Zeman became overwhelmed and staggered back towards his throne.

"Your abilities are impressive..." Zeman panted. "But it will take more than that for the both of you to defeat me!"

"Explosivo!" Regulus yelled as he charged into my view, startling me a little.

"Good timing!" Explosivo yelled. "Although I could've taken him down on my own." he smiled.

Regulus turned to me. "Tyler, please lend me Torunka's Staff!"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I said, fumbling a bit before reaching out for Regulus to take the staff, which he latched onto with his teeth, before turning back to Zeman. "Prepare yourself!" he yelled as he charged at Zeman. Once Torunka's staff made contact with Zeman's Minus Staff, the surrounding area became bathed in a white light.

"Tyler! Regulus!" I heard Luna yell.

"H-hey, what's happening?!" Torunka piped up.

"Honestly... I've got no idea..." I muttered.

The light faded as I saw Regulus was on top of Zeman, claws out, ready to go in for the kill, with Luna and Torunka standing next to me.

"Go, Regulus! Get him!" Luna yelled.

"You fool!" Zeman groaned, knocking Regulus to the floor, but before anything else could be done, a sword ran straight through the left side of Zeman's chest as he let out a piercing scream.

Explosivo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in his hands as Zeman's body sporadically jerked and pulsated. A quick twist of the sword tore at more of his flesh, and blood began to flow rapidly out of the open sore and down his torso. Torunka and I cringed, whilst Luna let out a small scream, before turning and burying her face in her hands to get away from the violence. One more quick motion, the sword being pulled out of Zeman, and his body dropped to the ground, completely motionless.

"Tyler... Can I open my eyes now?" Luna asked shakily.

"Uh... no... I think it would be best if you, um... kept them closed for the time being." I said, eyeing the blood that began to trickle down Zeman's body and create small pools around his corpse.

Regulus struggled to get back on all fours, looking wearily at Zeman's body resting beside him. As Regulus turned his gaze towards Explosivo, I felt as though there was some tension between them. As it turned out, I was right. "You...! I didn't ask for your assistance!"

"Still angry at me I see, kitty." Explosivo taunted, though the taunt was somewhat offset by his serious expression. "You would've died without my help. _Both_ of you would have." Explosivo turned his attention to me. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I was doing what was asked of me. What _you_ asked of me. To help the Ancient Fairy Dragon. Don't try and come off like I was doing the wrong thing!" I retorted.

"You didn't have to be so overconfident. You would've died like a fool on your own. Torunka's Staff would've ended up in Zeman's possession, Regulus would've been no match for him, and all hope would be lost."

"And you think _I'm_ a downer..." I muttered.

"Just be more careful in future, that's all I'm saying..." Explosivo sighed, putting his sword back in the sheath as he bent down to pick up Zeman's lifeless body. "Besides, there's not much time. I'll take care of things here, but the four of you had better get moving." He explained. "Behind the throne lies the door to a stairway. Ancient Fairy Dragon is being kept at the summit of the stairway."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course I'm sure." Explosivo smiled. "Oh, wait. You'll need Zeman's Minus Staff to free the Ancient Fairy Dragon."

Explosivo handed me Zeman's staff, while Torunka retrieved his own.

I slowly turned to Luna. "Luna, turn to your right. Keep your eyes closed."

"Um... okay..." Luna murmured, following my instructions.

"You can look now." I smiled. Luna slowly moved her hands away from her face, the blood stains on the castle floor far from her view.

"Alright then, you three: hop on." Regulus urged, lowering himself to the ground. Luna kept her sight to the wall as she made her way over to us. I helped Luna onto Regulus before giving Luna Zeman's staff so that I could get on without any difficulty. With a mad dash, Regulus charged through the door at the back room and up a flight of stairs which seemed to stretch on to no end.

"Who was that Duel Spirit before?" Luna asked.

"His name's Explosivo."

"Didn't you summon monster named Explosivo in your Duel with Joel?"

"Yep. Same one. He's sorta like my guardian." I explained.

"Your guardian?"

"Yeah. Apparently my father's dead. It was in a will or something that he requested that he take care of me. So I'm thinking my dad could talk to Duel Spirits as well, but I'm not really sure. I suppose it doesn't really matter now though, does it?"

"Tyler..." Luna muttered.

Eventually, the four of us made it up the stairway and into another room. This room was much bigger, with flaming torches hung from the walls, stone tablets, which I assumed contained the spirits of Duel Monsters that Zeman had captured for his cause. A stone tablet of Ancient Fairy Dragon seemed to be the room's centerpiece, as torches with purple fire were hung near her tablet, which was around three times bigger than all of the others.

Luna, Torunka and I hopped off of Regulus. Luna gripped Zeman's staff at the hilt. "I hope this works..." she muttered, raising the staff towards the Ancient Fairy Dragon tablet. Instantly, the Minus Staff began reacting, and in a flash of light, the Ancient Fairy Dragon appeared before us, the tablet behind her now blank.

"Thanks to your efforts, I have finally returned." she bellowed.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna cried.

"Are you alright?" Regulus asked.

"I am indeed, Regulus. I can't thank you enough for all your help." Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded.

"There is no need for such words. I was merely carrying out my duties." Regulus said.

Ancient Fairy Dragon smiled, before directing her gaze towards Luna. "And you, Luna, because of your strength, peace has finally returned to the Spirit World. On behalf of everyone in this land, allow me to express my gratitude. I thank you."

"You're welcome." Luna smiled. "I'm just sorry it took so long. Anyway, I couldn't have done anything at all by myself."

Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded. "Maybe so... Tyler, Torunka." she turned to face me. I'm sure it was unintentional, but she was really quite intimidating. "Without your assistance, Zeman would have continued to rule the Spirit World."

"Oh really, it was nothing!" Torunka cheered. "We're happy to help!"

"Everyone, thank you so much for all your help!" Luna piped up. "I really appreciate it!"

"Although it is yet too early to say that we have found true peace. The other world shall face a terrible crisis. It must be averted at all costs." Ancient Fairy Dragon said.

"Yes, if we don't seal the control units quickly, the King of the Underworld will be revived!" Luna explained.

"My, that sounds... dreadful!" Torunka cried.

"Indeed." Ancient Fairy Dragon said, causing all of us to turn to her. "We haven't got much time until the King of the Underworld returns. And in fact, your brother Leo is now battling with a Dark Signer by the name of Devack."

"What?!" I asked.

"He is?!" Luna cried.

"Yes. He fights hard against Cusillu... but he is outmatched. There is no time to lose. You must go to him posthaste!" Ancient Fairy Dragon decreed. "But be careful. All of the Dark Signers use special cards."

"Special cards?" Luna asked.

"Yes, the Earthbound Immortals, which each have different, unique and powerful abilities residing within them. You must approach with extreme caution!" Ancient Fairy Dragon warned.

"Okay!" Luna said, determined. "But it's really far from the B.A.D. Area to the control units. Even if we leave now, it may be too late."

"Hey! You're not wimping out now, are you?" Torunka asked.

"No, but I just don't see how we reach Leo in time!" Luna protested.

"Well," Torunka began smugly. "Now that my magic's back, it'll be a cinch to send you right there in the real world!"

"You can really do that?!" Luna asked, amazed.

"Well, just look at me! Aren't I just the cutest little spellcaster you've ever seen?!" Torunka asked, striking a pose.

I sighed as Luna looked at me out of the corner of her eye. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Torunka asked.

"Uhh... It's either laugh or cry, Torunka..." I laughed.

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Never mind..." I muttered.

"Okay, well... Luna, Tyler, get ready!" Torunka instructed.

"Luna, Tyler. Trust in your friends and never give up." Ancient Fairy Dragon said softly. "May the spirits protect you both..."

A white aura enveloped Luna and I as we began to float. We were pulled into a giant white bubble, and all I could see besides Luna was a white light around her. After a couple of seconds, the bubble faded, and we were standing directly facing the Monkey's Control Unit. My left arm felt a little heavier, so I looked down and noticed my Duel Disk and deck were strapped to it for whatever reason.

Purple flames were spouting out of the ground all around the far area, trapping us inside. Luna and I looked around and saw Devack, along with this literally titanic black monkey behind him facing Leo, whose face was planted in the dirt.

"Leo!" Luna cried as we ran over to him. Luna shook Leo's shoulders lightly. "Please tell me that you're alright!" Luna begged.

"Luna..." Leo groaned. "Everything's under control..."

"Ah, so the real Signer decides to finally show up. I've been waiting for you, girl." Devack called out as he walked over to us.

"What did you do to Leo?!" Luna screamed, tears pouring from her eyes.

"We were just having a little Duel, as you can see. I was just getting ready to finish him off when you arrived." Devack smiled.

"I won't let you!" Luna shouted. "You'll have to Duel me now!"

"What a brave sister you are!" Devack jested. "As you wish." Devack powered down his Duel Disk as his monsters disappeared, before he recombined his card piles into his deck and slotted it back into his Duel Disk. I found it a bit strange that in spite of Devack doing something in a Duel that would constitute a loss, nothing happened. Weirder still, the fire around us remained. I would even go so far as to say that they intensified.

"I won't let you get away with what you did to Leo!" Luna shouted as her Signer Mark lit up brightly.

"You've got it all wrong... You see, he challenged ME... I merely accepted." Devack explained.

I stood there silently. There was no way in Hell that I could let Luna do this, especially after seeing Leo's condition. "Hold up!" I shouted as everyone looked at me. "I'm Luna's personal bodyguard. If you want to get to her, you'll need to get through me!" I said, walking in front of her.

"Tyler?!" Luna asked.

"Oh, you want to Duel too?" Devack asked. "Very well, I'll take the both of you on at once!" Devack shouted.

"Someone's a little overconfident..." I muttered as I powered on my Duel Disk. "You afraid I'll wear you down too much if we Duel separately?" I taunted.

"Tyler, you don't-"

"Luna, it's fine." I said as I turned back to her. "Look: we beat Liquid and Okita before. That was two-on-two, now it's two-on-one. We can do this. I'm not letting you face this guy alone, alright?"

Luna nodded after a moment of hesitance. I could tell by her expression that she was thankful that I was gonna be Dueling by her side, but also a bit unsure of my safety. After all, she probably didn't want me to end up like Leo.

"Luna! Tyler!" I heard Yusei yell. I looked around and saw Yusei and Trudge standing on the top of a building outside of the purple flames.

"Sup?" I shouted, giving Yusei and Trudge a quick wave.

"You're awfully calm for someone who's about to stare into the face of death..." Devack smirked.

"Well that's a bit presumptuous, isn't it?" I asked, walking back so I was by Luna's side. "Oh, hey. Why don't you step back a bit as well?" I cheekily smiled at Devack. "You're edging me out!" I added. To Hell with Explosivo saying _I'm_ too overconfident. This guy Devack is what? Sixty? He probably doesn't even know how to play the game properly!

"You're gonna wish you never intervened, brat!" Devack muttered at my remarks.

"Duel!"

[Tyler & Luna: 8000 LP]  
[Devack: 8000 LP]

"I'll start!" I said, making my draw. "I'll Set one card face-down and activate the Spell card Prohibition. Now, I declare a card name, and as long as this card stays face-up, you can't play said card."

"What?!" Devack cried.

"I choose Earthbound Immortal Cusillu!" I shouted. "I'll finish my move by summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack position!" The caped knight appeared on my side of the field, drawing his sword [ATK: 1900].

"My turn!" Devack said calmly. "I activate the Spell card Terraforming! Allowing me to add Mausoleum of the Emperor to my hand. And... I think I'll activate another Terraforming so I can add another Mausoleum of the Emperor to my hand. Next I'll activate the Field Spell, Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

"No surprise there..." I muttered as two Obelisks irrupted out of the ground along with a stone stairway, which made its way up to the Monkey's Control Unit.

"Next, I'll activate the effect of Mausoleum, and pay 2000 Life Points to summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest in Attack mode!" The musclebound monkey appeared in a flash of light [ATK: 2600].

[Devack: 6000 LP]

"Now... attack Breaker!" Devack shouted. His monster complied and rammed its fist into Breaker, sending shockwaves through my body as I was knocked into the air before plummeting to the ground.

[Tyler & Luna: 7300 LP]

"Tyler?! Are you alright?" Luna asked, running over to me.

"Damn it..." I muttered. "What the Hell was that?" I grabbed Luna's hand as she helped me to my feet. "The damage... was real..."

"Of course it is, you fool!" Devack yelled. "This is a Shadow Duel. In a Shadow Duel, all damage inflicted is real. You could be killed before your Life Points hit zero!" Devack laughed. "Maybe you shouldn't have challenged me, and just let the Signer Duel alone..."

I slowly got up, Luna holding onto my waist to support me. "Bite me!" I taunted. Alright, maybe I did underestimate Devack just a tad. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. Akiza's, Liquid's, and Okita's combined psychic powers couldn't hold a candle to the power of a Dark Signer. And poor Leo had to deal with this all on his own!

"I'll end my turn..." Devack glared at me as I attempted to stand on my own, successfully I might add. There were no visible signs of damage to my body, like scars, cuts or bruises, but I was feeling horribly winded.

Luna looked at me, then Leo, and then turned to face Devack. "I draw... and I summon Kuribon in Attack mode!" Luna shouted as the little furball appeared on her field [ATK: 300]. "Next I'll place two cards face-down... Your move, Devack..." Luna murmured.

Devack smirked as he drew. "My tu-"

Luna flung her hand out. "I activate Bad Reaction to Simochi! Now all healing is reversed and turned into damage! Next, I chain Gift Card. This card would normally grant you 3000 Life Points, but thanks to Simochi, you'll now take 3000 points of damage instead!"

A giant glossy card appeared on Devack's field, before promptly bursting into flames and spraying its sparks over Devack.

[Devack: 3000 LP]

"Nice work, Luna!" I complemented. "High five!" I smiled, raising my right hand out to her, which she met with her own right hand. Luna giggled.

"I'm going to continue with my turn now!" Devack growled. "I summon Berserk Gorilla!" Devack shouted as the red-furred, fire-breathing ape appeared on his field [ATK: 2000].

"You know, I'm sensing a pattern here..." I muttered.

"Berserk Gorilla, attack Kuribon!" Devack shouted.

"Hold up!" I flung my hand out. "I activate my face-down Magical Arm Shield! This card allows me to take control of one of your other monsters and then forces you to do battle with it, I choose Green Baboon!"

Devack growled as Green Baboon was forced in front of Kuribon, taking the hit and reflecting the attack back at Berserk Gorilla.

"Not only is Berserk Gorilla destroyed, but since Green Baboon was your monster, you'll take the difference in damage!" I smiled as Devack was hit by shockwaves, but he seemed more angry about the fact we had pitted his monsters against each other than that he just took damage from the battle.

[Devack: 2400 LP]

"I'll end my turn..." Devack muttered.

"I draw!" I emphasized. "I'll place one card face-down and summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" I shouted as the robed man appeared as various elements appeared around him [ATK: 1600]. "Next I activate the Spell card, Fissure! Not only is Green Baboon destroyed, but thanks to Rapid-Fire's effect, you'll also take 400 points of damage!"

"What?!" Devack cried as one of the elements surrounding Rapid-Fire became ablaze and struck him the chest.

[Devack: 2000 LP]

"Attack! Rapid-Fire and Kuribon!" I shouted. Kuribon looked to Luna for approval, who nodded. Rapid-Fire blasted Devack in the chest a couple times, followed by a quick headbutt from Kuribon.

[Devack: 100 LP]

"I end my turn..." I muttered as Devack coughed up blood.

"You fool! You dare to interfere in the War of the Titans?!" he asked. "You have NO IDEA what I am capable of!" Devack shouted.

"I'm sorry, who's got more Life Points? We have! The only thing you're capable of is losing!" I shouted back. "I'm not playing around here, Devack! You're not the only one with powers, okay? Luna here is a Signer! She was chosen by the Ancient Fairy Dragon to defeat you. What are you? Just some generic evil dickwad with a monkey fetish! Without your precious Earthbound Immortal, you're nothing! You've got a hundred Life Points left! Get your head out of your ass! You can't possibly win!" I shouted.

Devack's eyes widened at my comments, before drawing shakily. "I'll destroy Mausoleum of the Emperor and place another Field Spell face-down..." Devack muttered. "Next, I summon another Berserk Gorilla!" Devack shouted as Berserk Gorilla appeared once more [ATK: 2000]. "Berserk Gorilla... Crush and destroy! Attack Rapid-Fire Ma-"

"I activate Negate Attack!" I shouted, as my card opened out. "Not only is your monster's attack stopped, but your Battle Phase ends as well!" I grinned.

"Turn end!" Devack twitched.

"All right, Luna. You can do this!" I said, turning to her. Luna nodded as she drew.

"I'll Set one monster, switch Rapid-Fire Magician to Defense mode [DEF: 1200] and place one card face-down. I end my turn..." Luna muttered.

"I dr-" Devack began.

"I activate my Trap card!" Luna shouted, flinging her hand out. "The Paths of Destiny! Next, I chain my other face-down, Dark Cure! Now a coin is tossed and if it's heads, you'll gain 2000 Life Points. If it's tails, you'll lose 2000 Life Points. Then we'll toss a coin, and if it's heads, we'll gain 2000 Life Points. If it's tails, we'll lose 2000 Life Points."

A giant coin appeared on the field before flipping itself and landing on heads, as shown by the display on our Duel Disks.

Devack grinned. "Heh, guess that means I gain 2000 Life Points now..."

"Nope!" Luna piped up. "Remember, I've got Bad Reaction to Simochi out, so all Life Points that are gained or inflicted as damage are reversed!" Luna shouted.

Holy crap... Luna really thought this through well... Whatever the outcome would've been regarding Devack's coin toss, we would've won anyway. Devack's eyes widened as a purple aura overcame Devack and he screamed in pain.

[Devack: 0 LP]

The purple flames surrounding us faded away as Devack collapsed onto the ground, groaning. "How could I have lost...?" he whispered as the monsters on the field disappeared. Devack broke out into hysterics. "Roman... please forgive me. I am useless to you!" The aura around Devack grew as he screamed once more. "Make way for the Titans! Glory to the Dark Signers!"

When the purple aura cleared, Devack was nowhere to be found and Luna's Signer Mark dimmed.

"We won..." Luna muttered, before gasping. "Leo?!" Luna and I turned around and saw Leo staggering to his feet.

"Hehe, you beat him..." Leo spoke softly, as if speaking any louder would cause him pain. "I was supposed to be protecting you, but you ended up saving me instead..."

"No way!" Luna insisted. "I was only able to win because you were there with me!" Luna said, running up to him and hugging him.

"Really...?" Leo asked.

"Yes, really! I couldn't have done it if I was by myself!" Luna said. "You and Tyler were both here to help me!"

"Heh, well that's good to know!" Leo smiled before turning to me. "Thanks, Tyler."

"No problem..." I said softly. I turned to Luna. "That combo you did at the end was awesome! You've got to show me that sometime!" I chuckled.

"Tyler! Luna! Leo!" Yusei and Trudge shouted as they came over to us.

"Are you alright?" Yusei asked.

"We're better than alright!" Leo psyched. "Luna and Tyler just beat one of the Dark Signers! It was so awesome!" Leo cheered.

"We've still got to seal the Control Unit though..." Trudge muttered. Luna nodded as we all took a short walk to the Monkey's Control Unit.

The light from the sun finally broke through the haze and dust of the cold morning as our feet struck the cracked, dry ground of where the Monkey's Control Unit stood, my boots collecting dirt as we walked. I had done it: I, Tyler Nochi, had defeated a Dark Signer. There was nothing... No thought or feeling that could bring me down or distract me from the moment that I wanted to keep forever as a triumph, a testament to myself.

"This is like a total happy ending moment!" Leo cheered.

"Except it's not the end yet..." Luna muttered.

"Are you feeling okay, Luna?" Trudge asked. Luna looked up at him and nodded.

Yusei knelt down and put an arm on Leo's shoulder. "Leo, you were really brave facing up to Devack like that..." Yusei praised.

I nodded. "I don't think Joel would've ever put himself on the line for me, even now. Luna's really lucky to have a brother like you..." I muttered.

Leo's eyes widened as he began tearing up. He wiped the tears away on his arm.

"Crybaby..." Luna smiled.

"Luna...!" a voice bellowed. We all looked and saw Ancient Fairy Dragon floating in the sky above us, along with Regulus.

"Where did those things come from?" Trudge asked. "Is there a laser light-show goin' on?"

"No, Tetsu Trudge." Ancient Fairy Dragon began. "We are not illusions... We are real..."

Trudge flipped out. "Did that thing just talk back to me?" he asked, before promptly fainting.

"Grownups are so weird..." Leo murmured as we turned back to the two spirits.

"Luna... Tyler... I thought you should know... By defeating that Dark Signer, you have saved us all. The spirits captured by Zeman's Minus Curse and Devack's Earthbound Immortal are free now, and they have returned home to the Spirit World..." Ancient Fairy Dragon explained. "All thanks to you two."

"Actually," Luna began. "It isn't all thanks to us. I wouldn't have been able to face Devack even with Tyler if it weren't for my brother Leo's help. He set up Devack so Tyler and I could finish him off." Luna smiled as she turned to Leo. "And Yusei stuck by Leo's side the whole time..." Luna added, facing Yusei.

"I offer my thanks to all of you..." Ancient Fairy Dragon said softly.

"Our fight with the Dark Signers isn't over. Will you help us?" Yusei asked.

"The Dark Signers are like a disease. If they are not vanquished completely, their power will grow back, and the Spirit World will once again be in danger. We must finish this! I will fight alongside you, even if it costs me my life!" Ancient Fairy Dragon said.

"I too will fight alongside you, until the bitter end!" Regulus added.

Ancient Fairy Dragon and Regulus were covered in a bright light, before disappearing. A Regulus card and an Ancient Fairy Dragon card appeared in Luna's hands.

"We did it, Tyler!" Luna cheered. "I finally have the card that Mina said that we'd need!"

"The Monkey Control Unit is just up ahead..." I muttered as we walked towards it. Yusei ran his hand along the side of one of the doors and it opened.

"So is this one of the control towers that Mina was talking about? The ones that like, controls the Momentum reactor thing?" Luna asked.

"Yup. This is it..." Yusei muttered as we all went inside the control unit. It was a very small room, certainly looked bigger on the outside. The walls were lined with various colors and patches. It was like one giant computer chip. In the middle of the room as a pillar and an image of Cusillu engraved into it. There was a space in the middle for a control card. I presumed that was Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"Luna, do you have the card ready?" Yusei asked. Luna nodded and walked forward.

"Here goes everything, I guess..." Luna muttered as she gently slotted the Ancient Fairy Dragon card in place.

The central pillar lit up before the whole control unit began shaking. "I have a feeling we might wanna run right now..." Yusei said as Luna grabbed the card back and we all ran out of the control unit.

We all turned back and saw the Monkey's Control Unit begin to sink into the ground. "Where's it going?" Leo asked. The four of us watched as the control unit receded into the ground further and further until it was as if it was never there to begin with.

"It's okay, everyone... I'm fine..." Trudge groaned, getting to his feet. "Hey, uhhhh... Where'd the tower go? There WAS a tower here, right?" Trudge asked.

"I didn't see any tower!" Leo lied.

Trudge plonked himself on the ground before sighing. "I need some sleep... I keep seeing things that aren't there. Towers, dragons, flying lions..."

Leo and Luna broke into laughter and I smiled. "It's time we got going." Yusei said. "There's still three towers left... And the next one's mine!" Yusei said, clenching his fists. "Time for me to settle things with my old friend, Kalin..."


	12. A Forgone Conclusion

Luna, Leo and I were now back in Trudge's patrol car with Yusei riding on his Duel Runner alongside us. I had just found out that all Sector Security patrol cars have a cable to connect cell phones up to the car. Trudge said it's supposed to be used as a hands-free set, but the car stereo could be used to play music off of the phone in conjunction with the cable, which was pretty neat.

And so, Trudge and I were happily jamming along in the front to Steppenwolf's 'Born to Be Wild' when an image appeared in the sky amongst the thick black clouds. It was similar to Devack's Dark Signer Mark, but it was a different animal.

"Is that a whale?" Leo asked as I turned down the music.

"I don't remember Mina mentioning any Dark Signers with a Whale Mark..." Trudge said.

"Would that mean there's a fifth control unit?" I asked.

"There can't be." Yusei said. "There's four control units, plus the reactor. There's four Signers, plus the mysterious fifth Signer. That evens it out. Unless they managed to turn someone new into a Dark Signer!" Yusei hypothesized.

"Something isn't right here! My mark isn't glowing!" Luna panicked.

"That must mean that whoever's battling isn't a Signer, right?" Leo asked.

"Let's go find out!" Yusei revved his Duel Runner, Trudge's patrol car struggling to keep up.

I noticed that as we went further towards the projection of the Whale Mark, the worse the terrain got. The patrol car began to slide about. To be honest, I was a little bit uncomfortable about the way Trudge was driving. I mean, you think he'd slow down a little if the car couldn't handle the terrain, but he was going faster. I didn't want to say anything, 'cause Trudge was probably doing the best he could given the circumstances, but still... if this keeps up...

"What's going on?!" Leo yelled.

"The wheels aren't built for this type of road!" Trudge explained. "Everyone hold on!" Trudge ordered. Just as Trudge was about to increase his speed to what I had hoped was its maximum, Yusei relaxed his speed and cut in front of us. "Yusei?! What the Hell are you doing?"

"You guys stay back while I check things out. It's too dangerous!" Yusei said.

"No way!" Trudge denied as Luna popped her head between Trudge's and my seat.

"We can't leave you, Yusei! What if something happens? We don't even know who this new Dark Signer is! And what if they have another Earthbound Immortal?" Luna protested.

Leo leaned over my seat. "Yeah! I thought we were like The Three Musketeers!" Leo added.

"The Fourth Musketeer is in the front, you know..." I muttered.

Leo sighed. "Whatever. The point is, we won't let you go solo!"

"All right, Leo!" Yusei nodded. "But I'll go on ahead and scout out the Duel. Check you guys later!" Yusei said as he increased his speed once more and shot off.

Trudge brought his speed down a bit and turned to me. "Has your phone got a GPS?" he asked.

"Uh, it should..." I said. "Hold on." I fiddled with the phone and got into the GPS, "What do you wanna do?" I asked.

"Plot a course for the Giant's Control Unit which takes into account terrain types." Trudge ordered.

I did as he asked (to the best of my ability) and fiddled with the phone a bit more. "Safest way or quickest way?" I asked, turning to Leo and Luna.

"Uhhh... Safest please, Tyler..." Luna muttered. Leo nodded.

"Okay..." I fiddled with the phone once more. "Turn left." I said. Trudge nodded and turned off the central road, the car jerking a little. "Keep going straight. We should meet..." I stopped and looked in awe as there were no houses around the surrounding area anymore, just more purple fire. "...I was gonna say the path Yusei went on... It's just fire..." I said sheepishly.

"This is the safest way?! We're right up close to this thing! If we touch it, we're dead! If this is safe, what's the quickest way?" Leo asked.

"The quickest way would be going _IN_ the fire and getting burnt to death..." I said.

"Ah!" Leo acknowledged. "So Yusei went this way then?" Leo asked.

"If he's not here, he's either dead, or in between the fire following whoever's Dueling..." I muttered.

"Oh man, we just gotta find Yusei!" Leo yelled.

"At least the fire means we're on the right track..." Trudge murmured.

"Yusei, I hope you're okay..." I heard Luna mutter.

"I'd be more worried about us being okay with Trudge's driving!" Leo ranted.

"Don't worry, Luna. Yusei will be fine." I assured her. "I'm more concerned about who this new Dark Signer is and their opponent..." I muttered.

Luna nodded quickly.

"Before I forget," I began. "I want to again apologize for some of the things I said during the Duel with Devack. The language I used was completely unacceptable, and you should never use the words I used." I said calmly, before sighing.

"What words shouldn't we use?" Leo grinned.

"I'm not falling for-"

"Look!" Trudge shouted, pointing to a flying purple whale with fire spewing out of its underbelly... I shit you not... The whale itself was massive, but it seemed to be falling slowly.

"Could that be an Earthbound Immortal?" Luna asked.

"If that's an Earthbound Immortal... where's the Dark Signer and their opponent?" I asked, overriding Luna's question.

"And where's Yusei?!" Leo panicked.

"Okay!" I said, slamming my hand on the side of the car, before climbing over my seat and joining Luna and Leo in the back. "Screw safety! Floor it, Trudge!" I shouted.

"What?!" Luna asked, worried. "But there's no seatbelts! What if we crash?" Luna shouted. In response, I wrapped an arm around each of the twins shoulders to keep them from injuring themselves. Then, I planted my feet against the backs of Trudge's seat and the passenger seat.

"How's that?" I smiled. Luna blushed, but it quickly faded as Trudge increased the patrol car to its maximum speed.

For about twenty-one minutes we continued alongside the wall of purple fire, when all of a sudden, the fire faded. "Does that mean the Duel's over?" Leo asked.

"That same fire disappeared when you three beat Devack. So I guess it would." Trudge said.

Up in the distance, I could see two figures standing next to two Duel Runners alongside some rubble. As we got closer, I could make one of them out to be Yusei and the other to be a short young man with spiky orange hair.

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna called out as Trudge pulled the patrol car to a stop. I let go of the twins as they got out of the car and ran over to Yusei. I followed slowly behind.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Luna asked.

"I'm fine." Yusei smiled. "My friend Crow just beat the Dark Signer in a Shadow Duel."

"Who was the new Dark Signer?" Luna asked.

Yusei looked down at the floor. "Greiger..." he muttered.

"Greiger?!" Leo shouted. "As in, THE Greiger? Who I Dueled at the Fortune Cup?!" Leo asked. I stayed quiet, not knowing who they were talking about.

"Yeah..." Yusei muttered. "Greiger said he became a Dark Signer to defeat Goodwin because he destroyed his village, but it was the Dark Signers who destroyed his village." Yusei explained.

"We couldn't save him..." the other guy muttered.

"Sorry, I forgot." Yusei began. "Crow, this is Leo and Luna. Luna's a Signer like Jack and I. Leo's her twin brother."

"Nice to meet ya!" Crow smiled. "Any friend of Yusei is a friend of..." Crow stopped as eyes met mine. "Oh, hey! Is that you, Tyler?!"

"Yeah, it is..." I muttered. "Hi..." I looked to Yusei for recognition, who nodded. "...Crow..."

"Where've you been? I've been worried about ya!" Crow asked. "Kalin got caught, then you went missing... I didn't know what was goin' on!" Crow vented.

"Tyler was brainwashed by those Arcadia Movement guys. He lost his memory in the process." Yusei intervened.

"What? No way! Looks like we gotta go take care of some business then!" Crow clenched his fists.

"The Arcadia Movement headquarters is gone now... Their members are all over the place... They shouldn't nearly be as strong as they used to be." Yusei said.

"So that must've been what all the fuss was about a while back..." Crow murmured. "Oh well, if it's not there anymore then I guess there's no reason for us to head out there."

I scratched the back of my head. "Sorry I don't remember much about you... I knew your name and what you looked like, but that's about it."

"That doesn't matter. At least you're safe. Annie and Itsuki were worried sick about ya." Crow sighed.

"I don't know who either of those people are..." I muttered.

"Right! The memory thing! Uhhh..." Crow trailed off. "Long story short, you used to help me look after a couple of kids in the Satellite. Oh, yeah! That reminds me! Your Duel Runner is still right where you left it! I kept it runnin' for ya! After this whole thing with the Dark Signers is over, we can go back and get it!"

"Sounds good..." I smiled.

"Crow," Yusei began. "Kalin's still alive."

"What? I thought he died in The Facility!" Crow shouted.

"He did, but now he's back." For the next few minutes, Yusei told Crow all about the Dark Signers, Goodwin, Kalin, the Reactor and a little bit about how I was at the Arcadia Movement.

"Hmm... So is Kalin next, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"Yes. We have some unfinished business to attend to..." Yusei muttered before revving his Duel Runner and riding off towards the Giant's Control Unit.

"Let's ride!" Crow shouted as he got onto his Duel Runner and revved it twice.

"Everyone back in the car!" Trudge ordered as Crow followed after Yusei on his Duel Runner.

I got back into the passenger seat and sighed. Leo and Luna got into the back seats, and without any recognition from anyone, Trudge revved the engine of the patrol car and came to meet Crow as he decreased to a slower speed behind Yusei.

I couldn't help but think... Yusei, Jack and Crow have been so cool about my amnesia and stuff. I mean, I hadn't really thought about it since meeting up with Joel again, but Joel's immediate reaction of, or rather acceptance to, my 'situation' was pretty much a polar opposite to what Yusei's, Jack's and Crow's were like. It had to be only Joel then... Yes. If everybody else didn't have a problem with it, then neither would I. I'd be able to return to the life I once had, whatever that was...

"You guys think that Yusei's scared?" Luna asked, breaking the silence.

"Nah! Yusei's not scared of nothin'." Leo grinned. "He's the best there is!"

"Well Yusei told me he faced Kalin before and almost died. I suspect that was because Kalin and Yusei were both going easy on each other. Now they're going all-out, in a Shadow Duel no less. I have no doubt that Yusei will be able to win, but it's gonna be a close one, that's for sure."

"Guys, look!" Crow shouted as I saw the Giant's Control Unit peeking its way into my view, along with Yusei's and Kalin's Duel Runners. "Follow me!" Crow took a sharp turn before proceeding up a bend. Trudge followed in pursuit until Crow skidded to a stop.

I noticed we were now on a higher ground from where Yusei and Kalin were, which was probably a good thing. After all, I didn't want to get caught by the Hades Fire that was sure to make its presence known once the Duel started. The bad thing was that this took us a fair way away from the Giant's Control Unit. I could hardly see a thing.

"Ummm... does anyone have a pair of binoculars?" Leo asked.

"I can use my phone's camera to zoom in, but..." I looked back at the patrol car, where it was still plugged into. "It's all the way over there and I can't be-" I was about to swear, when I paused. "-bothered." I grinned, happy that I was able to cover up my profanity. At the same time though, I urged myself to be more careful regarding my language around the twins.

All of a sudden, purple fire (as I expected) rose up from the depths of the Earth which ended up creating a weird pattern when viewed from my position. I guessed it was some kind of animal, as Misty's and Devack's both were, but the fiery pattern didn't really have any key characteristics, at least from where we was standing. I'm sure if I were to look at it from above, I'd probably be able to discern just exactly what it was. From here though, I wasn't having any luck.

"The Shadow Duel's about to start..." Crow muttered as Luna's Signer Mark lit up. "I know Kalin was once our friend, but don't let that get in the way of this Duel."

I watched as Kalin and Yusei sped around inside the fire trading blows in their Turbo Duel. This went on for a while. We all stayed quiet to see if we could hear the Duel better, but to no avail.

"This is ridiculous! I can't hear a thing!" Leo ranted.

"Hold on!" Crow shouted as he ran over to his Duel Runner and typed something into its control pad.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just watch..." Crow smiled as the screen on his Duel Runner lit up and showed us screens of Yusei's and Kalin's Duel field.

"How the Hell did ya do that?" I asked.

"Magic..." Crow grinned.

"Yusei's got the upper hand..." Trudge muttered.

"Not for long... Look!" Leo pointed as Kalin's One-Hundred Eye Dragon blasted through Yusei's monster.

[Yusei: 1900 LP]  
[Kalin: 4000 LP]

"That attack just put Kalin back in the driver's seat." Crow said. "Yusei better get a plan together and fast!"

"You can do it!" Leo shouted at the screen.

"Can they hear us?" Luna asked.

"No." Crow said nonchalantly, making Leo blush in embarrassment.

[Yusei: 4000 LP]

"Haha! Did you see that? He got all his Life Points back! Yusei's the best!" Leo cheered.

"I hate to admit it, Leo. But you might be right." Trudge said as we turned back to watch the Duel.

A couple more turns passed, and Yusei took another hit to his Life Points, causing his Duel Runner to spin out.

[Yusei: 2900 LP]

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna cried. I couldn't take this anymore. I didn't want to be a downer, but I couldn't stand around and just shout at a computer screen. I could feel all my common sense begin to leave my mind, leaving only irrationality and hatred. Unfortunately, the bulk of which was directed at me. My deck shone a bright light as Explosivo appeared beside me.

"Don't give in to your anger..." Explosivo said. Luna turned to us as she was the only other person who could see and hear Duel Spirits. I nearly scoffed. What Explosivo had said sounded like some cliché one-liner you'd hear in some dramatic movie or you'd find in a book.

My emotions stirred. "I just don't know what to do..." I muttered. "I'm standing on the sidelines like an idiot. I'm useless!" I shouted, causing everyone to turn to me.

"Uhh... Tyler? You okay?" Crow asked.

"No..." I said coldly. I sighed as Luna wrapped her hand around my fist and looked up at me worriedly. I closed my eyes, attempting to calm myself. Why was I getting all worked up? Yusei was faring better in his Duel with Kalin than I was in my Duel with Joel, and I came out on top. I just had to stay calm. Yusei would win like he always had.

As soon as I opened my eyes, a bright purple light irrupted from the field where Yusei and Kalin were Dueling and a giant black and blue monster appeared.

"Meet Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu!" Kalin shouted as Luna's Signer Mark shone brightly.

"What the Hell is that thing?!" Trudge asked.

"It's huge!" Leo screamed.

Huge was an understatement. Kalin's Earthbound Immortal literally towered over all of us.

"Shit..." I muttered, immediately kicking myself for letting out another swear.

"If Yusei gets attacked by that thing, he'll die for sure..." Trudge added.

"No way! Yusei can still win this!" Crow assured.

"Leo only just narrowly avoided getting killed by Devack's Immortal. I'm sure Tyler and Luna would've been handed the same fate if Cusillu hadn't been blocked." Trudge added.

"Why are you guys so negative?" Leo asked.

"I'm just trying to be realistic. I'm sorry if it seems that I'm being a pessimist." I murmured.

"Pessimist?" Leo asked.

"Never mind..." I muttered.

"Look!" Luna tugged on my sleeve before pointing out to the Duel field, which was now bathed in a bright light. We all turned to Crow's monitor to check what was happening.

"I'm sorry, Kalin." Yusei's voice came through the speakers. "I tune Salvation Dragon with my Stardust Dragon... To Synchro Summon the Majestic Star Dragon!" A pillar of light erupted behind him as a great dragon with jewels embedded in its skin rose up and gave off a threatening roar [ATK: 3800].

"It's so pretty!" Luna exclaimed.

"If Yusei went ahead and Synchro'd instead of switching his monsters to Defense Position, this Majestic Star Dragon must have incredible powers... I think Kalin's screwed..." I said bluntly, causing Leo to grin.

We all watched the screen as light began to emanate out of Ccapac Apu and Yusei's dragon began to absorb it, before charging into Kalin's monster.

[Kalin: 0 LP]

The entire field was bathed in a white light as Crow's Duel Runner screen conked out. When the light faded, Yusei got off his Duel Runner, dropped to his knees and looked up to the sky. Although we were so far away, I could hear him shout "Kalin! You're my friend! And for you, I'll defeat the Dark Signers!"

Yusei wearily got up and walked over to, and then went inside the Giant's Control Unit. What felt like the longest seconds of my life passed when Yusei ran out of the Control Unit as it began to disappear into the ground. Leo and Luna waved to Yusei. "Yusei! That was awesome!" Leo cheered.

"I'm so proud of you!" Luna added. I felt Explosivo gently grip my shoulder with his hand before his spirit returned to my deck. To be honest, that frightened me a little, as strange as that seemed.

"Now come on up here!" Leo grinned as Yusei began walking back towards his Duel Runner before getting on it and backtracking to where we were.

"Nice job man!" Crow encouraged as Yusei stopped beside us, took off his helmet and walked over to us. "So, hey... uh... Is that your doing?" Crow asked, pointing out towards where the Giant's Control Unit used to be. It was difficult for me to see, but some people were now standing in and amongst the wreckage.

"Where'd they come from?" Trudge asked.

"Maybe it's..." Crow pondered. "Of course! By defeating Kalin's Earthbound Immortal, you freed all the people who were trapped inside of it!"

"So then, there's hope for the others, right?" Leo asked turning to Luna who smiled.

"Yeah!" she nodded.

"Give it up buddy!" Crow cheered as his fist bumped Yusei's lightly. My eyes widened as I was brought into another vision. It was a brief one: the other kid with orange hair, Taze, I think, bumped fists with a younger-looking version of me and-

"Tyler!" Leo shouted, waving his hand in front of my face, breaking me out of my vision. "You okay?" he asked.

I shook my head to dismiss the visions. "Y-yeah... Would we be able to take a little break or something?" I asked.

Yusei shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think we have any time to waste. With the Gate to the Underworld still open, we need to get to the other two Control Units as quickly as possible. And even though Kalin and Devack are out of the picture, there's still three Dark Signers left."

"I guess you're right..." I murmured.

"Huh? Where did..." Luna began, darting her head around, probably looking for Explosivo.

"Is something wrong?" Leo asked.

"He's back in my deck. And thanks for worrying..." I smiled. Leo looked at Luna and I confused.

"Hey, what's with Trudge?!" Crow asked. We all looked towards Trudge, who was now standing limp. His eyes a pale white. The Mark of the Spider appeared on Trudge's right arm.

"Everyone get back!" Yusei shouted. Luna and Leo ran behind me, hugging my arms tightly as Crow staggered back.

"Wh-what's going on?" Crow asked.

"Trudge... Are you still with us?" Yusei asked.

Trudge looked towards us. "I'm sorry..." Trudge spoke, but Roman's voice came out of his mouth. "Tetsu Trudge isn't here right now."

"Roman! I should've known!" Yusei growled.

"I believe it's time that you and I faced each other, Yusei." Trudge's face turned all twisted and warped, causing Luna to let out a light scream as both she and Leo tightened their grip on my arms. "If you think you're strong enough to defeat me, come to the site of the Original Momentum Reactor."

"What?" Yusei asked as the spider mark on Trudge's arm disappeared and his facial expression returned to normal. A little spider ran down Trudge's arm before jumping off and scurrying across the floor. Before it could move any more, I squashed it.

"You two okay?" I asked, turning back to the kids.

"N-n-never better..." Leo stammered.

"What..? What's everyone looking at..?" Trudge asked, his normal voice coming out of his mouth. Leo and Luna gently let go of my arms as I walked over to Trudge, eyeing him suspiciously. "Uh... What are you doing?"

"Just... checking..." I mumbled.

"So are ya gonna go?" Crow asked Yusei as I turned back to them. "You know it's a trap, right?"

"Of course it's a trap, but... I'm gonna have to face Roman again sooner or later. And the quicker I defeat his Earthbound Immortal, the quicker that Rally and Martha and all the others will be safe." Yusei said.

"Hold up, Yusei." I interjected. "You only just finished battling Kalin, are you sure you're up for this?" I asked. It was a fair question. I was still feeling a little worn from my Duel with Devack. Leo and Luna were probably feeling the same, so for Yusei to rush right back into another Shadow Duel... Well, maybe it wouldn't be the best idea...

"Tyler, I've never been more sure of anything in my life!" Yusei said, clenching his fists.

"But Yusei-"

"I promised Rally and Kalin and everybody that I would defeat the Dark Signers. I can't let them down! I can't let the people of the Satellite down! It's time... We need to go settle things with Roman..."


	13. Will of the Gods

We were moving along the now semi-populated streets of Satellite. The terrain this time around was a lot easier on the wheels of the patrol car, and Trudge was keeping the speed of the vehicle at a comfortable level. Yusei and Crow were, again, ahead of us. I was in the passenger seat and had lowered the seat so I could lean back a little. I sat with my earphones in, both my conscious and subconscious minds not even focusing on the music at all. My most recent vision with Taze was at the forefront of my thoughts, and to be honest, I hadn't really been thinking of Taze for quite some time. Now though, with pretty much all of these random visions and flashbacks I keep having, Taze is in them. Joel mentioned him too. I figured I would have to go back on what I had previously thought. After the Dark Signers stuff was over, after I got my life back on track, I'd give Taze a call...

I refocused my eyes on the dark clouds in the sky above when Leo's head popped into my view. With the music currently at a volume that was probably causing irreversible damage to my ears, I couldn't hear anything that he was saying. To be honest, I didn't really pick up on the fact that he might've been trying to talk to me. I just kept my eyes on his until Leo frowned, taking my earphones out of my ears.

"Look!" Leo shouted.

"What?!" I jerked, pulling the seat back up as I stared in awe at a large crater that was a few miles ahead of us. "Oh... That's a pretty deep hole..!"

"The Original Momentum Reactor..." Trudge muttered.

"I can't imagine what it was like when that thing blew up way back then." Luna said.

"Think every disaster movie you've ever seen, roll it all into one, then multiply that times ten." Trudge explained. "Here's hoping that nothing like that happens today..."

My eyes widened in fear. I don't know how to explain it. It was like I could feel the essence of darkness pulsating throughout the depths of not only where the Momentum Reactor once stood, but through my own body as well. To me, it went far beyond mere depression or unhappiness. It was something else... something dangerous...

Luna groaned a little as Leo put an arm around her shoulder. "Don't be scared, Luna."

"There's something powerful and terrifying down there, Leo. I can feel it!" Luna cried.

"Right, but... I mean, uh... I'll be with you, so that's good. Right?" Leo asked.

No one said anything else until we all pulled our vehicles up alongside the giant crater. They were close enough so that we didn't have to walk very far, but they were far away enough so that they wouldn't get caught if the reactor became active. I wouldn't have really thought about it like that, but with everything that had happened so far with the Dark Signers, an explosion resulting from a Duel really wasn't that preposterous.

"No way! It's too scary!" Leo shouted. Crow, Yusei, Luna, Leo, Trudge and I were now peering directly into the crater. There was a staircase which proceeded down into the crater, which I assumed housed the Reactor itself.

"Let the record show that Leo's courage lasted a whole five minutes." Luna joked. Hey, she's funnier than Jack...

"Well this is it." Crow said.

"Yeah..." Yusei sighed, before turning to Crow. "You with me?"

"Until the wheels fall off buddy!" Crow cheered.

"Then let's go!" Yusei said, determined as he led the way down the steps. I didn't know how old the staircase was, so I held onto the railing as tight as I could, making sure to watch my feet as I walked down after Yusei.

The staircase eventually ended, and a bridge protruded out of that. Yusei stepped off the staircase as Roman's voice echoed throughout the near-empty void. "There you are..." Roman teased, causing Yusei to scowl.

I squinted a little as I focused my eyes on a tall man standing what seemed like yards away. The bridge truly seemed to stretch on forever. Although I didn't really get a good look at him, due to it being dark, I assumed that the man was Roman.

"Stay back!" Yusei ordered, causing me to flinch. Luna inched closer to me and hugged my right arm tightly as I began to sweat. I admit, I was feeling very uneasy about this...

"I'm glad you made it," Roman shouted as he began walking towards us. "I thought you'd be too torn up over what you did to your friend!"

"What _I_ did?!" Yusei asked, enraged. "Kalin chose his own path, I am not responsible for his death! If anyone's to blame it's _YOU_ ROMAN! _YOU_ TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A MESSED UP KID!" Yusei vented.

"You tell him, Yusei..." I murmured.

"Oh, come now." Roman said calmly as he had now made it halfway across the bridge and took his hood off. "There's no need to get worked up. I wasn't blaming you. We all did what destiny wanted us to do. We're just pawns, Yusei! No one's to blame! From the beginning you and Kalin were meant to befriend each other, turn against one-another, you were meant to kill your friend JUST AS I WAS MEANT TO KILL YOUR FATHER!"

"My father?!" Yusei asked. Roman began laughing and flicked a switch. An explosion randomly happened overhead as an earthquake happened... while underground... Bright multicolored lights emitted up from under where the bridge was. It was as if in this place, logic held no bearing.

"It's beautiful!" Luna hummed, almost mesmerized by the pattern.

"Is all this light coming from the Reactor?" Leo asked.

"What is this?!" Yusei demanded.

"Can you feel it, Yusei?" Roman asked so softly, I could hardly hear him. "Twenty years ago, your father and I discovered a gateway to Erebus. On the other side of that light sleeps a magnificent power, Yusei. Once this Passage to the Underworld has opened up, the power will spill into this world and consume it completely!"

"Do you even care about the lives you've taken, Roman?! The people that you've hurt so your Earthbound Immortals can gain power?! Up until now, you've done whatever you wanted to do, well not anymore!" Yusei clenched his fists before pointing squarely at Roman. "I am gonna make you pay for all the damage that you've done!"

"In the face of infinite possibilities, it's inevitable that some change be incurred-"

"You don't get it-"

"No! _You_ don't get it!" Roman interrupted. "There are incredible forces at play here, Yusei. Haven't you seen it? The Trojan War? New Atlantis? We humans are the means to an end. We're not important. We're disposable cogs in a machine. Our individual lives mean nothing! Just look around you, look at this beautiful light. This light is dead. It encompasses the Shades, the citizens of Erebus and yet, this light is alive. It is part of a chain reaction that not only killed your father, but will soon find me as well!" Roman cackled, arms outstretched.

"I've got bad news for you, the crazy stops right here and now!" Yusei shouted.

"I will send you to the deepest pits of Tartarus just like I did your father!" Roman activated his Duel Disk, followed by Yusei. "Come..." Roman purred. "Fight me..."

"Be careful!" Leo and Luna shouted in unison. Twins...

Both Yusei's and Roman's Marks lit up as Yusei pumped his fist into the air. "Let's Duel!"

[Yusei: 4000 LP]  
[Roman: 4000 LP]

"The first move is mine!" Roman spoke calmly, drawing his card. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

"No monsters?" Trudge asked.

"Just one card..." I muttered. I pondered this a little. If Yusei drew Mystical Space Typhoon or a similar card in his starting hand, he'd probably be able to win on his first turn.

"My turn!" Yusei drew dramatically. "I send Level Eater to the Graveyard to summon Quickdraw Synchron!" [ATK: 700]. "Next, I lower Quickdraw's level by one to re-summon Level Eater to the field." [Quickdraw Synchron: LV: 4]  
[Level Eater: ATK: 600] "Then, Quickdraw can absorb the abilities of a Tuner monster! It's targeting the abilities of my Junk Synchron!"

"Nice!" Leo shouted as Quickdraw took aim and fired at an image of Junk Synchron.

"Next, I'll tune my Level Eater with my Quickdraw Synchron to summon Junk Warrior." a pillar of light enveloped Yusei's monsters before it faded, revealing the blue-armored warrior. [ATK: 2300]. "Now!" Yusei threw his hand out. "Attack Roman directly!"

Junk Warrior dashed forward, before jumping into the air and charging at Roman. I expected Roman to collapse from the blow, but instead, somehow, he parried it and swatted Junk Warrior away.

[Roman: 1700 LP]

"Yeah!" Trudge yelled.

"He did it! He scored the first major attack!" Leo added in.

I for one couldn't see what there was to be happy about. Sure, Yusei was able to get a lead so early in the game, but that's just it! It's the start of the game! There was no way this guy would go down easily. He didn't even flinch, for God's sake! He fought back!

I didn't want to show my pessimism to the others, so I just swallowed quietly before exhaling. Everything was quiet, until we could hear Roman laughing.

"You truly are a fool, Yusei." he chuckled. "Because of that attack, I can now activate my Trap Card, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing! This allows me to summon two Spider Tokens to my side of the field!"

"Totally ran into that one..." I mumbled as two green mutant spiders appeared outside the bridge. [ATK: 0]

"That was quite a cheap move, Roman!" Yusei taunted.

"Those spiders don't have any attack points. This bad guy has no idea what he's doing." Leo proudly stated, wiping his nose quickly with his finger.

"That right there, that's one of your weakest points, Leo! You get cocky! Roman is clearly planning ahead and looking to execute a major move!" Luna said, turning to Leo, who just grumbled at his sister's remark.

"Luna's right, Leo. These Dark Signers have a way of turning the Duel around, no matter how it's going. He brought those monsters to the field to sacrifice them-"

"He's going to summon his Earthbound Immortal." I accidentally interrupted Trudge, before turning to him. "Oh, sorry. Were you gonna say that?" I asked.

"Yes, but-"

"I can feel it!" Luna shouted, now also having interrupted Trudge. "Whatever happens next you three, don't leave my side!" Luna begged.

"What do you mean?!" Leo edged back. "You know you really freak me out when you talk like that!"

"Wait a minute..." I muttered, looking around, realizing that Crow wasn't with us. "Where's Crow?!"

"It's my turn!" Roman shouted, drawing a card. "I activate the Field Spell Card, Spider Web!" Light began to shoot itself around the bridge and bounce off the walls as it travelled upwards, revealing cracks in the void. Leo and Luna ran to me, and gripped my arms tightly.

"What's happening?" Leo asked.

I looked up to see a giant spider web at the top of the void, blocking any potential escape.

"Now you're trapped." Roman said calmly. "Trapped like a bunch of flies! Now, I'll sacrifice my Spider Tokens to summon Earthbound Immortal Uru!"

"Here it comes!" Yusei shouted as Leo and Luna buried their faces into my chest. I held onto them tightly as Trudge took an uneasy step back before bracing himself.

A purple light shot down from the spider web as a giant black spider with glowing red indents appeared, before stabbing its legs into the sides of the earth. Purple fire spewed out the sides and fell into the pool of rainbow-colored light below. [ATK: 3000]

In an instant, Luna's Signer Mark flashed even brighter, before a transparent red bubble materialized over Trudge, Leo, Luna and myself. It was the same bubble that appeared when that earthquake happened at the orphanage.

"This thing had better protect us, Luna!" Trudge stammered.

Luna took her face away from my chest and was surprised to see that the bubble had appeared. "We'll be fine!" she assured us, but her voice was wavering. Regardless, we all turned back to the Duel.

"Thanks to my Spider's Web, Uru is able to attack you directly! Go, Uru!" Roman ordered. "Kill that pathetic Signer!" Uru shot a ton of web from its mouth at Yusei. I clenched my teeth as I watched.

"Yusei!" Leo shouted, running to the edge of the bubble.

"I activate my Trap Card, Synchro Barrier! So by sacrificing Junk Warrior, I can negate your attack!" Yusei shouted as Junk Warrior leaped in front of the web and was pinned to the bridge before exploding.

"You're only delaying the inevitable..." Roman teased. "I'll Set two cards face-down and play Destiny Activator! This allows me to send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard. From this point forward, if the card you draw is the same type as this card, then you'll lose half your Life Points! So go on, Yusei, draw! You'd better pray to the Gods that you don't pick up a monster."

Yusei clenched his fists before looking at the bridge and then back at us. "Here goes!" Yusei shouted, drawing a card, flipping it over and revealing it to Roman.

"Ah! A Trap Card! Either the Gods are smiling upon you, or they're toying with you!" Roman smiled.

Leo sighed with relief.

"Yusei can't relax yet. He's got to find a way to beat Uru, or else it's over..." Trudge murmured.

"I summon Speed Warrior!" Yusei shouted as the acrobatic monster appeared before him, jumping and flipping around on the field. "Since he was summoned this turn, his attack points double!" [ATK: 1800]

"You know that Uru can't be selected as an attack target, right?" Roman asked.

"I do. I also know that in this circumstance, the only other target I can select for an attack is you! So Speed Warrior, attack Roman directly!" Yusei ordered.

"I activate my Trap Card, Roar of the Earthbound!" Roman pressed a button on his Duel Disk, before a gust of air blew Speed Warrior off the bridge and into the light. [Yusei: 3100 LP]

"I Set one card and end my turn." Yusei muttered, sounding irritated.

"How many more attacks from Uru do you think you can avoid?" Roman jested. "The answer is none! Uru, attack!" Roman yelled as Uru once again shot string from its mouth down at Yusei.

"Reveal Trap Card, Spirit Force!" Yusei shouted as the card lifted up.

"Sorry, but I'm countering with Earthbound Wave! If I have an Earthbound Immortal out, I can negate the activation and effect of your Trap Card and then destroy it!" Another card lifted up, this time from Roman's field, causing Yusei's trap to disappear.

"Wha-" Yusei screamed in pain as Uru's web seemed to cut through his flesh like a knife. Yusei slowly dropped to the bottom of the bridge as blood gushed out of the open wounds on his skin. [Yusei: 100 LP]

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna shouted in unison.

"Oh no!" Trudge shouted.

I watched with horror as Yusei's blood dripped out of his body and trickled down off the sides of the bridge.

"Stand up, Yusei! Stand up so I can throw you into the pits of Tartarus!" Roman yelled. Yusei coughed up blood, causing Roman to sigh. "Or just lie there and wait for your death to come, and bleed out... I really don't mind either way..." Roman smiled. It was sickening how a grown man could take such pleasure in killing another human being. On the other hand though, I was the same. When Sayer was knocked unconscious I had almost become a completely different person, one who, like Roman, also took pleasure in causing pain. I guess I really didn't have any right to have the mindset that I currently had.

"I'm..." Yusei grunted as he forced himself to stand. "I'm not afraid of you, Roman!" Yusei shouted, before taking a step back, probably because he lost a lot of blood. Yusei shakily drew a card from his deck before showing it to Roman.

"A Monster Card!" Roman grinned as Destiny Activator shot a beam of light through Yusei's chest, blasting him back to the ground. [Yusei: 50 LP]

I cursed up a storm of profanity in my head, but I let out the only word I could think of at that point that wasn't a swear. "Darn!"

"Yusei's barely holding on! Both in Life Points and in..." Trudge struggled to finish his sentence.

"He looks weak! You don't think he'll die, do you?" Leo asked.

"I hope not..." I muttered. Everyone else stayed silent.

"This Duel is over!" Roman shouted.

Yusei once again struggled to his feet, only this time using the ropes of the bridge to support him. "In case you haven't noticed, Roman, I've still got some Life Points left. And besides, it's not over until the last card is played!" Yusei shouted.

"You tell him!" Leo shouted.

"Don't back down!" Luna added.

"Get 'em, kid!" Trudge finished.

I couldn't think of anything to say at that point that was appropriate for me to say in the company of the twins, so I kept my mouth shut, mentally urging Yusei to fuck Roman up real good.

"I summon Zero Gardna in Defense Position!" Yusei shouted, throwing his card down as the monster appeared. [DEF: 0] "Finally, I Set one card. Your move."

"I must admit. I'm impressed that you're able to stand up. It seems you do have the will to fight on after all. I supposed you inherited that stupidity from your father!" Roman taunted. "I find it fascinating that the Signer that's destined to face me here is in fact Professor Fudo's son... And you think destiny is not in control."

"The only destiny is the one we make, Roman!" Yusei shot back.

"Strong words, Yusei. Especially for someone standing at Death's door! You're up against a force that you cannot begin to comprehend. Once the King of the Underworld is released, the Titans will cross over into this world and bring about a new era of prosperity!"

I shook my head. Everything he was saying, this fatalistic bullshit he was spouting along with some forlorn justification for his cause, it was wrong. And to be honest, it irritated me that he even thought this way.

"Prosperity?" I shouted to him. "The Atlanteans were almost led to their deaths by the Titans. And you're talking as if they're able to be controlled? You're an idiot!"

"Tyler?" Yusei asked.

Everyone turned to me. "You're also right that it was the Gods who started the Trojan War, but who fought in them? Humans, not Gods! They treat us like pawns in chess for their own personal gain! Some not even for any personal gain at all! Some just wanted to watch us kill each other! What almost occurred because of that was not an age of prosperity. No... It was an age of darkness, jealousy and greed. An age that WILL come again if you set the King of the Underworld free!" I ranted.

Okay...

Where the Hell did that even come from? I didn't even understand half of what I just said! I blinked twice as I noticed that everyone had been staring at me as I lost myself in my rant.

"Jealousy and greed are the emotions that humans possess. Not the Gods-"

"You mean to tell me that Hades wasn't just a little bit jealous that Zeus got to rule over heaven while his lot was to rule over the dead? Or that Poseidon wasn't just a little interested in Cronus' promise of power?" I asked. "Face it, your entire argument and reason for doing this is flawed!"

"You have no idea what my reasons are!" Roman shouted, clearly frustrated. I chuckled, honestly getting a kick out of pissing him off. "But I admit it's funny that you think that it was just the work of the Gods."

"I never-"

"Everything was executed by humans. The Gods sat back and watched, but the human's never questioned them. You think we'll be thrown back into the age of darkness, jealousy and greed? That age has been upon us since Zero Reverse! And the age of prosperity will be the aftermath of the great battle fought between the forces of the Crimson Dragon and the King of the Underworld! That's what this is! This is destiny!"

I twitched slightly, irritated to say the least that Roman had, in a way, me beaten with what he had said, but also that he was belligerently sticking to his guns. I stayed quiet, open to the possibility that I was probably completely wrong in what I was saying. Even so, the idea that a man could control a God was ridiculous. Roman smiled, before turning back to Yusei.

"Yusei! It's time you learnt the truth about what happened between Rex, Professor Fudo and myself!" Roman shouted.

"My father?" Yusei asked.

"Yes. My brother and I worked under your father while developing and researching the Original Momentum Reactor. Your father was willing to shut down the reactor because he found out that it could cause damage to the city. The time and money that Rex and I had spent would've all been for nought, so I appealed to the Board of Directors and they handed control of the project to me. Unfortunately, Rex helped your father escape, and he scattered all but one of the Signer Dragon cards. Irrespective of this, I turned the Momentum Reactor on..." Roman sighed after having spoken for such a long time. "It was at that moment that the Gate to the Underworld first opened and I became a Dark Signer."

"You...!" Yusei muttered, before he broke out into a rage. "You! You lied to me, Roman! You said that my father was greedy, and that he didn't care about the safety of New Domino!"

"Oh, Yusei. You believed me?" Roman laughed. "I said that because I wanted to upset you. In truth, your father was a self-righteous bore who couldn't comprehend the power of Momentum. He was blinded by fear, just like you! Now, Uru! Kill this pathetic Signer!"

"Not so fast, Roman! By tributing Zero Gardna, I can negate the attack of your monster!" Yusei explained, before doing just that.

"I'm becoming irritated that you're managing to survive so many of my attacks!" Roman admitted. "I'll place one card face-down, hurry up and go!"

"I draw!" Yusei shouted, before once again showing Roman his card. "Then I'll place two cards face-down. That's it."

"My turn..." Roman muttered. "And I activate Earthbound Whirlwind! With Uru out, all of your Spell and Trap Cards will be destroyed!"

"I thought you try something like that, which is why I Set my Starlight Road! Not only does it negate the effect of your Spell Card and destroy it, it also allows me to summon Stardust Dragon!" Yusei threw his hand into the air as his iconic monster appeared behind him. [ATK: 2500]

"He did it!" Leo cheered. "And you guys were being all negative and stuff, but I knew he could do it!"

"Next, I activate my Shooting Star Trap Card, which allows me to destroy one card on the field. Since I can't target Uru, I'll take out your Spider's Web!" Yusei shouted, pointing at Roman. "Let's see how well you can do without it."

"Actually, let's not. I chain Anti-Emptyness. By decreasing the attack of one of my monsters to zero, I can negate and destroy your Trap Card!" Roman's card flipped up and shot a beam light at both Uru and Yusei's trap, destroying the latter. [Earthbound Immortal Uru: ATK 0]. "I end my turn, so now Uru's attack returns to normal!" [ATK: 3000]

"Not bad, Roman." Yusei drew and showed the card to him. "But I activate my Battle Waltz Spell Card! With this in play, I get a Waltz Token that is an exact duplicate of my Stardust Dragon!" [ATK: 2500] "Now Waltz Token, attack Roman directly!" Yusei's duplicate dragon took flight before charging at Roman.

"You fool! Did you forget I have a Trap Card? I activate Roar of the Earthbound!" Roman shouted.

"I didn't forget, which is why I'm tributing the real Stardust Dragon to negate the effect. Now, Waltz Token, attack!" Yusei ordered.

"I reveal Brilliant Shrine Art, which redirects the target of your attack from myself to Uru!" A card flipped up on Roman's field, causing Yusei's monster to drastically change course and fly towards Uru. As Yusei's dragon hit Uru, it exploded, causing a haze to cover the battlefield. As a result, I wasn't able to see anything.

"Yusei!" I called out, fearing the worst. There was no reply, but when the dust settled, Yusei was shown to still be standing.

"What?! How did-" Roman began.

"I know you thought your big moment was coming, but neither of us take any damage when my Waltz Token is destroyed by battle." Yusei said. "Not only that, but Uru's attack power is reduced by the attack of what Waltz Token had!" [ATK: 500]

"Clever, Yusei... You've managed to stave off death for another turn. But you know as well as I do that destiny is on my side, just as it has been since the very beginning..." Roman smirked.

"Roman, I've listened to you go on long enough. You do terrible things, then you say it's all just destiny or the Will of the Gods, well I've got news for you. There is no such thing as destiny! There is only what you do and what you _don't_ do! But listen, I understand that life is a series of chain reactions. If my father had never discovered the power of Momentum, then Zero Reverse never would've happened, the Satellite would still be part of New Domino, Crow and Jack wouldn't have needed to grow up on the streets. I get that... But my dad was my dad, he wasn't some cosmic chess piece!" Yusei shook his head. "And as for my friends and all the bad stuff they've had to go through, don't tell me that's fate! Don't tell me that everything happened because it was _meant_ to! That's a lie! It happened because of YOU and choices YOU made!"

"If only you knew how wrong you are!" Roman spat.

"Don't listen to that nut-job, Yusei!" a voice called out. We all turned to the direction of the voice and saw Crow standing on the balcony of one of the rooms near the reactor. "He's fooling himself."

"You think so?" Yusei asked.

"I know so. I heard what you said about your dad, and you're right. It wasn't his fault. There was no way that he'd have known that Roman was going to do what he did." Crow shouted.

"Crow..." Yusei muttered.

"Yusei, never once have I thought that my life was ruined because of your dad. You don't need to take responsibility for all of those who suffered. It was this guy's fault!" Crow assured him.

"That might be true, but-"

"Look at it this way, if Zero Reverse had never happened, we would've never met up and become best friends! Good things lead to bad things, which lead to more good things! That's life! At the end of the day, we all have choices. We aren't destined to make them. This guy's just using destiny as an excuse to be a dick! ...Finish this guy, Yusei!"

"I'm on it!" Yusei shouted, before turning back to Roman. "I reveal my final Set card, Stardust Flash!" A pillar of light rose up from the card as Stardust Dragon appeared on the field. [ATK: 2500]

"You can bring that beast back again?" Roman asked, stunned.

"That's right, Roman! Attack now! Cosmic Flare!" Yusei yelled as Stardust Dragon charged right through Uru, causing more purple fire to spill into the light below. Uru's legs un-wedged themselves and the giant spider fell into the pool of light.

[Roman: 0 LP]

Roman dropped to his knees in defeat, but turned his head to face Yusei. "You really think it's over, don't you? Well unless you seal all of the towers by sunset, the King of the Underworld WILL BE REVIVED!" Roman grabbed onto one of the ropes and pulled it off, causing the entire bridge to collapse as he and Yusei began to fall into the pool of light.

"Yusei! No!" I shouted.

"Grab the rope!" Trudge shouted, but it was too late. All we could do was watch as Yusei disappeared from our view, falling into the light below.


	14. Death of a Madman

I honestly don't know how much time had passed. My eyes had been fixated on the rainbow-colored light that Yusei fell into. It had happened so quickly that I was still trying to take it all in.

"Yusei's dead! Yusei's dead!" Leo cried.

"He can't be..." Luna muttered. Although she wasn't crying like her brother, her voice was wavering. I heard footsteps coming up from behind me. I turned and saw Crow, who ran up to us and peered down into the light.

"Yusei wouldn't go through all this just to die here! He's fine! I'm sure of it!" Crow assured Leo, causing him to cheer up slightly. "The only thing we don't know is where the light leads..."

"Actually..." I piped up, causing everyone to turn to me. "I'm almost certain that the light leads to Tartarus."

"You mean like what Roman said?" Trudge asked. I nodded.

"He said that this Momentum served as a Passage to the Underworld, and I know that you can't go back through the same Passage. That being said, there are several other places where one can not only enter Tartarus, but leave as well. These places were cut off from the Gods by way of Adamantine Gates. The gates can only be opened by a mortal's hand. If Yusei can find one of these gates, he can escape."

"So Yusei still has a hope?" Leo asked. I nodded once more.

"All right!" Leo cheered. "That's awesome!"

"Tyler..." Luna muttered, causing me to turn to her.

"Yeah?" I asked softly.

"How do you know all of this?" she answered with a question.

I looked down at the floor. "To tell you the truth, I don't know how I know." I sighed. "I'm sorry I can't be more specific. I'm also trying to figure out some of the stuff I said. Most of what I said is probably wrong anyway."

"Well whatever it was, it sure got Roman worked up! I mean, did you see his face?" Trudge asked to no one in particular as a thought popped into my head. I turned to Crow.

"Hey, uhh... It might seem like a bad time to ask this, but where'd you run off to?"

"Well," Crow began, scratching his head. "I noticed a building that was just on the other side of the crater. It had like a military aircraft carrier out the front of it. I went to investigate, but I didn't wanna tell you guys in case you followed me and we all got caught."

"What did you find?" Trudge asked.

"I think that the building is just an extension of the reactor here. One of the rooms was basically trashed, but some of the equipment in the room was still working, and it actually pointed to this place right here." Crow explained, motioning to the pool of light. "That's how I was able to find you guys."

"It's all connected, isn't it?" I asked. "The Momentum Reactor and the Operations Room, I mean."

"Yeah..." Crow informed.

"Then the other gates..." I muttered, slowly trying to piece everything together. "Crow, where is this room?"

"Uh... It's a fair ways away from here. Why?" Crow asked.

"We need to go there right now!" I shouted.

"What?! Why?!" Trudge asked.

"If it's connected to the reactor, then the Operations Room could serve as a way for Yusei to get out of the Underworld!" I explained, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way, Crow!" Leo shouted. Crow nodded and headed back the way he came as I followed closely behind him. Trudge, Leo and Luna struggled to keep up, but we all eventually made it to a room blocked by a steel door. "This is it..." Crow muttered.

"Did you go in before?" I asked.

"No, but I saw what was inside." Crow admitted.

"Okay..." I murmured, slowly opening the door. "Stay close everyone." I ordered.

We walked in, but the room was pitch-black and we had no idea where we were going. The only source of light was coming from Luna's Signer Mark. I heard Leo yell out as a thud accompanied him. Suddenly, all of the room's overhead lights switched on, revealing a computer and the same pool of colored light, only this time, it was protected by glass.

"Leo! Are you alright?" Luna asked, helping Leo to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I must've tripped on something." Leo said sheepishly. "Whoa! Check it out!" Leo shouted, walking up to the glass and running his hand along it.

"Leo! Stay back!" Luna shouted, clutching her arm.

"If you break the glass, we don't know what'll happen!" Trudge added.

I silently walked over to the computer and tried to make sense of what was on the screen. One of the applications running was just an audit application managing the glass container, the specifics of which I couldn't quite understand. The unfortunate thing was that there were also a number of secondary processes running on the computer as well, and the Image Names weren't showing up. Crow walked up to me and peered over my shoulder. "So... uhh, any of this making sense to you?" he asked.

"Please, Taze. You don't give me enough credit." I gasped once I realized what I said. It felt so easy for me to say it, and it just sort of slipped out.

"What?" Crow asked as Leo, Luna and Trudge came over.

"Sorry, I was... thinking about something else..." I panted. "Yeah, I um, I understand this. This computer is managing the stability of the light, and a whole bunch of secondary processes."

"Sounds like you know what you're doing then." Crow smiled. "You know, back in the Satellite, you were quite a whizz with computers."

"Really?" I asked. "Hmm... That's probably why I walked over here..."

"So what do we do?" Trudge asked.

"Well, I can terminate the other processes to make the light have maximum priority. It's simple enough." I said. It was actually weird that the computer was giving me the option to kill all the other processes but not actually tell me what they were.

"And what'll happen if you do that?" Crow asked.

"I don't know what any of the secondary processes are, the computer's being a dick and won't tell me, and if this thing shuts down, then Yusei won't be able to come back." I hypothesized. "So I'm really afraid to do anything at this point. But there might be a chance that if I shut everything else down, Yusei'll be able to come back."

"Then shut 'em down!" Leo stamped his foot on the ground.

"Leo!" Luna groaned.

"All right. You guys might wanna hold onto something." I suggested. As Leo and Luna held onto one-another and Crow and Trudge braced themselves, I closed down all secondary processes and background applications, causing the overhead lights to shut off. "Hmm... So, this computer was controlling everything in the room..."

The entire room started to shake as the colored light pierced through the glass, causing me and everyone else to have to shield their eyes. When the shaking stopped, I slowly opened my eyes to find a figure lying where the glass container once stood.

"Hey, it's Yusei!" Leo and Luna shouted. Indeed, lying in the middle of the room was Yusei, who surprisingly seemed to have been healed from the injuries sustained in his Duel with Roman. We all ran over and crowded around Yusei.

"Yusei! Open your eyes!" Crow ordered.

"Say something!" Leo insisted.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked as Yusei's consciousness began to stir.

Yusei slowly opened his eyes as they met with all of ours. "Hey there!" Leo cheered.

"I won't forget what you said, father..." Yusei muttered, slowly sitting up. Did Yusei meet his father in the Underworld?

"Uhhh... you feelin' okay, Yusei?" Crow asked

"What?" Yusei whispered.

"What exactly happened down there?" Trudge asked.

"Hey! Give him a break, would ya? He's just a little shaken up, that's all!" Leo shouted, turning to Trudge.

"I'm fine. Thanks for looking out for me, you guys. But, how did you know I'd end up here?" Yusei asked. "I mean, I don't even know where I am."

"Tyler knew exactly where you'd be!" Leo grinned, sounding pretty impressed.

"How?" Yusei asked, turning to me.

"Eh? Just a hunch..." I shrugged, honestly not sure I had the time to explain everything to him. A loud beep, emitting from the computer brought me back over to it. The screen read: FATAL ERROR. A dialogue box below it simply said "Ok." I clicked on the box and the entire room started shaking again. "Yeah... I think we'd better get out of here..." I said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Right!" Yusei agreed. We all quickly darted out of the room and proceeded to head back to the bridge. The ground around us started to crumble at our feet. Just as we made it to where the bridge was, Luna fell back and dangled off the edge, having lost her footing.

"Luna!" Leo shouted, running to her, but he was too short to reach her.

"You guys head for higher ground, I've got Luna." I said.

Trudge, Yusei and Crow nodded and ran for the stairs, but Leo twitched. "No! I'm not leaving my sister!"

"Leo! Please!" I shouted. Leo took a short step back, before heading off with the others.

"Hang on, Luna!" I shouted to her, peering down, noticing she was almost into the light.

"Ahhh! Tyler! Help me please!" Luna begged. I skidded down and grabbed the idle piece of rope that she was clinging to.

"Hold on tight!" I ordered as I began to pull Luna up. Bit by bit, Luna got dragged up, and in a split second, I let go of the rope and pulled Luna up by her waist as gently as I could. The rope fell into the light.

"That was close! Thanks, Tyler." Luna panted, clutching me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her to my chest.

"No problem..." I muttered, before releasing Luna from my embrace. "Look, we still gotta get out of here!" I shouted, motioning for her to follow me up the stairs. I turned back as I heard Luna gasp. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I-It's my Signer Mark!"

I looked down at Luna's sleeve and noticed that her Signer Mark was no longer there. "What's that mean?" I asked.

"Someone must be calling on the full power of the Crimson Dragon!" Luna explained.

"Okay..." I whispered, as we continued up the staircase. My main priority wasn't who else was dueling, it was getting Luna to safety. "As long as you're alright though..."

We didn't say anything more as we luckily and conveniently just got off the staircase as it un-wedged from its place in the crater and shifted into the pool of light.

Leo, Crow, Yusei and Trudge must've heard our footsteps because as soon as we planted our feet into the Earth, Leo ran over and almost tackled Luna with a hug. "Luna! Thank goodness you're safe!" he bawled.

"You don't need to worry about me so much, Leo!" Luna blushed.

"We're brother and sister! That's what we do!" Leo laughed, turning to me. "You saved Luna again, Tyler. Thanks."

"No problem," I smiled. "And I'm sorry if it seemed like I was yelling at you back there, but I couldn't risk something happening to you either."

"Hey! Check it out, you guys!" Crow shouted, pointing to specks of purple light in the distance.

"It looks like it's coming from the Hummingbird's Control Unit..." I muttered.

"Do you think this means that Jack won his Duel?" Luna asked.

"Yeah!" Leo cheered, thrusting his arms. "Sure it does!"

"Then there's just one Control Unit left to seal... And I have the feeling that it's going to be the most difficult one of them all!"

"Well we haven't got a moment to lose then. We'd better get there as quickly as possible." Trudge suggested. We all nodded, each of us getting into our respective vehicles. Trudge, Leo, Luna and I in the patrol car, and Crow and Yusei on their Duel Runners.

Without another word, Trudge revved the car and shot off with Yusei in tow.

I still couldn't understand how Trudge could be speeding and yet still call himself an officer of the law. I mean, I get that he's speeding 'cause we're on a massive time-crunch, but still...

"The only Control Unit left is the Lizard's. That's the one that Akiza and Mina went to, right?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, but they need to get there quickly! If Akiza doesn't take it down before sunset, the Gate to the Underworld will open again!"

"That reminds me, what did you actually see when you went into the light, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"Well... I," Yusei paused. "At first I seemed to be in some weird red wasteland and I was all alone, but then these ghosts came out of nowhere and tried to pull me into the ground."

"Shades..." I muttered.

"Shades?" Yusei asked.

"The dead. Dark, fading echoes of those who once inherited the world of the living. If they tainted you, you'd be inconsolable, but you should pity rather than fear them..." I explained.

"Wow..." Crow muttered.

"Well, if you buy into that crap then sure..." Trudge said sarcastically. His remark gave me half a mind to hope that the King of the Underworld would be summoned, just so I could rub everything in his face. But that wouldn't be right to wish that just to prove a person wrong.

A run-down carnival site soon came into view. I glanced over at Yusei with a questioning look, as I found it kind of odd that a carnival site would be put up near a control unit. "Are you guys sure this is the right place? I mean, really? A carnival site?"

"I know what you mean, Tyler. It does seem odd, to put up a carnival site near a control unit. But that might be why. After all, no one would suspect it." Yusei said.

"I see your point..." I murmured. No one else said anything, as we headed to the front of the Abandoned Site Complex.

"Well it looks they got here fine..." Yusei muttered as we all pulled up on opposite sides of the other patrol car, which belonged to Mina.

"What if they Dueled already and Akiza lost?" Leo asked.

"Leo!" Luna sighed, probably angry that her brother was already jumping to that conclusion.

"Come on! Let's go find our friends!" Yusei shouted. I nodded, disconnecting my phone from the patrol car's connector and putting it in my pocket.

* * *

It had been at least half an hour since we all split up to find Akiza. Luna, Leo and Trudge went to cover one third of the carnival site, Yusei and Crow another, and myself the final third. I was confident that I would be able to handle myself pretty well, so I didn't really care about drawing unnecessary attention to myself if there was anyone out to get me.

"Akiza! Mina! Where are you?!" I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth in an attempt to project the sound of my voice forward.

I had been shouting like this for quite a while, so as you can imagine, by this point, my voice was absolutely killing me.

As if in response to my latest shout, a tornado seemed to force itself up from a random spot in the area. I hoped that no one was caught in the middle of that. In a way, I was kinda glad that the tornado popped up, 'cause it told me something important was happening.

I made my way through all of the damaged rides and attractions at the site, only to be met with a dome of blue crystal surrounded by an irregular layout of buildings. In the center of the dome, I caught sight of Akiza locked in a Duel with Misty. I couldn't tell who was in the lead, but it seemed to be a very close game. Both sides had monsters out and neither seemed to be in any sort of disadvantage.

I looked to one side of the buildings and saw Leo and Luna perching themselves over a railing on the staircase in order to get a better look at the Duel.

I made my way over to them as quickly as I could. "Thank God you guys are okay..." I panted.

"Tyler!" Leo and Luna shouted. "Something's wrong with Akiza!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, recovering from my run. Come on! I had been out for pretty much the whole day and I was tired.

"Just look at her!" Luna shouted. I did as she asked and leaned against the railing to get a better look at Akiza. In her eyes I could see a cold, vacant and yet dominating expression, like the one that Liquid and Okita had when they were both brainwashed. But that wasn't the only thing I saw.

It was difficult for me to make it out at first, but standing directly across from me in another building was a well-dressed man with auburn-colored hair that fell to cover half of his face. My eyes didn't deceive me. I could never forget a face like his. It was Sayer!

The rage that I thought was gone returned in an instant, and I clenched my fists so I hard that my fingernails dug into my own skin and I drew blood. It all made sense now! Sayer must have done to Akiza what he did to Liquid, Okita and all the others.

My breathing escalated, and I shook my head fiercely before turning to the twins. "You two stay here!" I ordered.

"Tyler? What's wrong?" Luna asked, sensing the uneasiness in my voice.

"Just promise me you'll stay here!" I snapped, causing the twins to twitch.

"Y-yeah... Okay, we'll stay here..." Luna muttered. I know that it was horribly rude of me to go off at them like that when they had done nothing wrong, but I couldn't control myself.

The next thing I knew, I was already heading back down the stairs and running towards the building where I saw Sayer. The thoughts "Kill! Destroy! Murder!" flashing through my mind. I quickly ran up the stairs of Sayer's building where I was shocked to find that the door was already open.

I peered in to see Yusei dangling off the edge of the balcony, barely gripping it with his hand as Sayer was looking down at him, laughing maniacally. "You thought you could get the jump on me? Sorry! Not happening!"

"What did you do to Akiza?!" Yusei shouted.

"I awoke her true powers." Sayer chuckled. "And now that I have her, I don't need anyone else." Sayer brought his boot up to step on Yusei's hands to make him fall. "See you in Hell, Yusei Fudo!"

As Sayer began to bring his foot down, I summoned up all my strength, all my anger, and charged at him. I was apparently a lot stronger than I thought, because I was able to pull Sayer back by his shirt collar and throw him up against the back wall.

"What the...?" Sayer asked, struggling to return to his feet, when he finally caught sight of me.

"Hello, Sayer..." I smiled, a sadistic grin on my face.

"You...! I never would have imagined I'd find you here!" Sayer remarked.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled, causing both Yusei's and Sayer's eyes to widen. I continued in a little above a whisper. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did, you cunt... We're not through... not by a long shot..." My face twisted into a smile as I noticed the profanity covering Sayer's face. I was thrilled to see that none of it had healed. I had never been more proud of anything in my life. "Nice tattoos..." I snickered.

"You've still got quite the mouth on you. You'd better be careful with the things you say..." Sayer muttered as Yusei was able to finally get to his feet.

"Tyler..." Yusei muttered, though I paid no attention to him.

"What? You think that you're better than me because you're a psychic?" I asked Sayer. "You may be a psychic, but you're also a lowly little fuckwit who preys on the weak."

It was at that point that Sayer drew a card, holding it up to the sky as a sword materialized in his hand. He went to take a swing at me, but I was able to parry the blow with my Duel Disk and then give him a roundhouse kick in the chest, causing him to drop the sword and fall back.

I actually didn't know how I was able to knock a man down who was clearly much older and much stronger than I was. I guess it must've been my adrenaline or something like that that. After all, there's no way in Hell that I'd have been able to do that under normal circumstances. Then again, none of what has happened over the past few days would be anything I would consider 'normal circumstances'.

The notion that Sayer's sword kept its solid form did surprise me, although I refused to let it show on my face. Instead, I reached down and picked up the sword in my right hand, before giving Sayer a maniacal laugh of my own. "You know, in a way I'm glad that you were able to cheat your way out of death. Because it's gonna make it so much more satisfying when I cut off your head and keep it as a trophy."

This was probably the first time I had ever seen Sayer truly afraid. The first time that I knocked him out, he seemed surprised or maybe even a bit pissed off, but not afraid. No. Now I could see into his eyes, and they were filled fear. I would be going too far to say that his eyes also showed shame and regret. A person like Sayer would certainly not be capable of showing either of those things. In spite of everything that had happened, all that he had done, we were back here again. Sayer was beneath me, and I had the opportunity to take his life. That's 'destiny' for you.

I raised the sword above my head and prepared to bring it down on Sayer's. Unfortunately, Yusei raised his hand out to my side, forcing me to stop or I'd cut off his arm.

"Y-Yusei?! What the fuck are you doing?!" I asked, enraged.

"Tyler, I know you're angry, but this isn't the way to do things. You can't just kill him." Yusei said.

"What? Do you want me to beat him in a Duel first?" I asked, the sarcasm dripping from my voice. "This man is a cunt who deserves to die for what he's done. I will NOT let him affect anyone else like he has me."

"Tyler, please." Yusei pleaded. "If you kill him, you'll be no better than he is."

"I don't care, I want him dead!" I growled. "I want my revenge!"

Yusei shook his head. "The Dark Signers are led by their thirst for revenge. Don't let yourself get taken by the darkness! Don't give into your anger!"

My eyes widened as I realized the last part of Yusei's speech mirrored what Explosivo had said during Yusei's Duel with Kalin. I thought back to how Leo had said that he had been beaten in a Duel by Sayer, the looks on Okita and Liquid's faces when Luna and I Dueled them, and Akiza's pained expression when she saw how much she hurt me during our first Duel. It was all to do with Sayer, but there was more to it than that. I had taken my anger out on everyone because of it. Akiza, the twins, Joel, Explosivo...

I brought my hands up and looked at the dried blood on them. I clenched my free hand, watching the blood pour out of the open sores. I had gone too far with this. I had reached the point where I was able to cause myself pain and not even think anything of it. That wasn't healthy. My state of mind wasn't healthy. I wasn't healthy...

I was insane...

I dropped the sword, collapsing onto the ground, tears beginning to form in my eyes. I clumsily wiped my tears away as Sayer slowly stood back up.

"Pathetic..." Sayer muttered, causing me to cringe.

"Tyler..." Yusei murmured, before turning to Sayer. "Tell us what you did with the others!"

"Others?" Sayer asked.

"The ones who failed your 'initiation tests' into the Arcadia Movement. What did you do with them?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sayer replied nonchalantly.

"Don't screw with me, Sayer! Misty said she became a Dark Signer to get revenge on Akiza because she killed her little brother, Toby! Is that true?"

I frowned a little, thinking back to what I could remember of one of the last conversations I had heard between Seria and Sayer. Seria wanted Sayer to be careful because of what happened to the 'last one'... was that Toby?

So Misty's angry at Akiza because she thinks she killed her brother?

"What Misty chose to believe regarding her brother's death is her choice." Sayer answered, sidestepping the question. I took the opportunity to take my phone out of my pocket and use the voice recorder. If Sayer confessed to Yusei about his wrongdoings, then he could Misty, and then maybe she'd stop her Duel with Akiza...

"Answer me! I wanna know the truth about Misty's brother, Sayer!" Yusei yelled.

"I couldn't jeopardize the work of the Arcadia Movement." Sayer finally answered. "Akiza's troubled past made her the perfect scapegoat. Toby's telekinetic abilities were not up to the standard that the Arcadia Movement required. He was a pathetic child who could not withstand even the most harmless of experiments we were conducting." Sayer then turned to face me, although he didn't catch sight of me recording the conversation. "You, however, were rather skilled. At least while you were brainwashed anyway!"

"You won't get away with this!" Yusei growled.

"Won't I? See, your biggest mistake was stopping him from killing me." Sayer said, gesturing over to me. "Because now," Sayer began, drawing a card from his deck as I looked up. "I'll make sure that you burn in Hell for all the trouble you've caused me!" Sayer held the card out and aimed it at Yusei.

Tremendous Fire.

Before Yusei could react, a pillar of fire shot out of the card straight at him. I quickly got up and pushed Yusei out of the way, taking the hit in exchange, blocking the stream with my Duel Disk.

Unfortunately, the force of the blast pushed me out of the room and off the balcony. As I fell to my apparent doom, it was as if time had slowed right down. It took all of my willpower not to scream as I lifted my arms up to keep my phone and slightly burnt Duel Disk safe.

It wasn't long before I came crashing down into the dome, landing with a thud near Misty's side of the field. "What in the...?" she asked, surprised.

The impact that my body felt was like nothing I had ever experienced. I luckily wasn't dead, but I wasn't far off either. I let my hands drop to opposite sides of my body as I let out a sigh. "...shit."

"You..." Misty said, walking over to me. "You're that boy from the Arcadia Movement, aren't you?" she asked softly.

It took all my effort to nod. "Pl...please listen, M-M-Misty..." I croaked. "It wasn't Akiza who... killed your brother, it... it was... S... Sayer..."

Misty's eyes widened as I continued. "Listen..." I said as loud as I could, which ended up being around the same volume as a whisper. I shakily gave my phone to Misty. "Press... play..."

Misty did as I asked, pressing play as she put the phone to her right ear to hear the recorded conversation between Sayer and Yusei better. "I know... how you feel..." I muttered. "I was put... through the same tests as your brother..."

When she finished, Misty bent down and gave the phone back to me, tears in her eyes. "Thank you. I now know the truth..."

"Sayer... is in the b... building a-across from you..." I struggled to explain.

Misty's black eyes widened as she looked up to where Sayer was. "You're not worth anything to me, you bastard!" Misty yelled. "Prepare yourself!"

"If you're going to hate someone, hate your brother for being so pathetically weak to begin with." Sayer taunted.

"How dare you..! I'll make you eat those words!"

"What are you gonna go?" Sayer shouted down to her. "Send me to the Underworld?"

"No! Not even the residents of the Underworld deserve such company as yourself! I've got a better idea!" Misty smirked. "I sacrifice my Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings to summon Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua!"

All I could do was look on as Misty's dragon disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced by a giant black and green Reptilian abomination. The creature's massive eyes squared down on me for a few seconds before looking at Misty [ATK: 2800].

"Ccarayhua, take care of Sayer however you see fit!" Misty commanded. Ccarayhua reached down and grabbed Sayer by his head.

"How dare you! Put me d-!" Sayer was unable to finish his sentence as Ccarayhua applied a minimal amount of pressure and squashed Sayer's head like a grape, blood splattering everywhere, before wrapping his gargantuan tongue around his body as he proceeded to swallow him whole.

In that moment, I was probably the happiest I had been in a long time. Although I wasn't able to kill Sayer, watching him die in such a horrific way reaffirmed my faith that he wouldn't come back from the dead this time. I could feel the restlessness in my soul die down as I put my phone back in my pocket, closed my eyes and rested my head against the ground, waiting for the end to come.

"My dear brother... I hope wherever you are, you're looking down on me right now. Forgive me, Akiza. It wasn't your fault. I'm so sorry for blaming you for everything that happened. Perhaps... If I forfeit this Duel, I can atone for my Sins." I heard Misty say.

I just continued to breathe in and out slowly, not bothering to open my eyes. I heard the rush of footsteps getting closer to me. I felt myself getting eased up into a seating position. "Tyler?! Are you alright? Please say something!" Akiza insisted.

I cracked a smile without bothering to open my eyes. "I'm fine..." I lied. "G-Go and seal the Control Unit... quickly, before-" I felt something in the back of my throat come up and flow into my mouth. I quickly swallowed whatever it was, which I thought would help. It didn't.

I eased myself away from Akiza and doubled over as I began wheezing and spluttering onto the ground, my eyes opening in response. Aside from the muck I had just coughed up, I could barely make out Akiza's shadow on the ground. It couldn't be sunset already could it? "Quickly! Get to the Control Unit!" I begged. "Leave me here!"

"She won't make it in time..." Yusei's voice muttered. I realized that Yusei, Crow, Leo, Luna, Trudge and Mina had all gathered around Akiza and myself.

"We're too late..." Trudge added.

"Who cares?!" Crow asked. "We need to get Tyler some help, and fast!"

By this point, I had lost the ability to speak due to my pain, reduced to whimpering and grunting. It wasn't long before I collapsed once more as my body completely gave out.

"Tyler!" I heard Luna cry out, but it felt like she was miles away. I tried to say something, anything, but no sound came out. And then...

Darkness...


	15. The Final Countdown

"Tyler... awaken..." Explosivo's voice sounded in my head. My eyes shot open without even realizing.

I gasped as I adjusted to my new surroundings. I seemed to be standing in the middle of a barren wasteland that had deep orange fire spouting out of the ground, emitting a heat that was unlike anything I had ever felt before. "What is this?" I asked.

"This is Erebus, the realm of Hades..." Explosivo muttered, making himself known. Wait... If I was in Erebus, would that mean that I'm...

"Am I dead?" I asked softly.

"No." Explosivo replied. "But you would have had I not intervened."

"Then why I am I here?" I asked.

"To become better prepared." Explosivo explained. "You have knowledge but lack experience." I twitched slightly. So this was a test? "I can tell that you're a little irritated, but just answer me this: How do you feel?"

"I um," I stammered, realizing now that the near-death injuries I had sustained had disappeared. "I feel fine!" I exclaimed. "I feel fine! This is so awesome! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're feeling better." Explosivo smiled. "However, the sun has set on the site of the reactor, and the King prepares for his ascent into your world."

"I know..." I muttered. "It's my fault. If I hadn't of gotten injured, Akiza wouldn't have been distracted and she'd have been able to seal the Lizard's Control Unit and I wouldn't have ended up here."

Explosivo sighed. "In this moment right now, this is where you're meant to be."

"But... why though?" I asked, not really understanding what Explosivo meant by his choice of words.

"There is a Duelist who recently arrived here. He plans to open one of the Erebus Gates directly while the Gods are distracted. With that accomplished, he will be able to return to the realm of the living and assist the King of the Underworld in enslaving human and Duel Spirit alike."

"Well that explains why I've still got my Duel Disk attached to me..." I mumbled, looking it over and noticing that it wasn't damaged at all. "So who is this Duelist?" I asked before my eyes widened. "Wait, is it Sayer? Because if it is, you don't need to say anything more! Just lead the way and I will fucking murder him! Wait, can you kill someone who's already dead? Ah, I don't care if you can't! I'd just like to have another crack at him! After all, I should've been the one to kill him!"

"It's not Sayer... But I appreciate your enthusiasm..." Explosivo chuckled at my rant.

"Aw... Well, who is it then?"

"Roman Goodwin..." Explosivo replied.

"Shit! You're serious?!" I asked. Explosivo nodded. "Look, Yusei had plenty of trouble beating Roman, and he's a much better Duelist than I am. I can't beat Roman."

"Well, not with that attitude, you can't." Explosivo interjected.

"It's not about my attitude! He's got a freaking Earthbound Immortal, and all my cards are shit!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Alright, all of them except you..."

Explosivo sighed. "You know, for someone who can talk to Duel Spirits, and who Duel Spirits can hear... maybe you should tone it down a little..."

"You know what I mean!" I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. Explosivo gave me a condescending look. "Okay, okay, fine. Where is Roman?" I asked.

"There is a gate to the east of here. That's the one that Roman is attempting to reach. I can accompany you there to the gate, but I am unable to directly interfere with the Duel. Doing so would allow the other Earthbound Immortals who have already been defeated to lend their assistance to Roman." Explosivo explained. I just nodded hazily, not really paying attention. I realized that this is what it must feel like for Trudge and the others to listen to me. I just had to defeat Roman alone. Shouldn't be too hard... "Anyway, are we gonna get going, or what?"

"You lead the way..." I shrugged. The two of us set off in the direction of the gate. During the walk, I had thought about asking Explosivo some questions that had been plaguing me for a while, but I eventually decided against saying or asking anything.

To say I was unnerved a little by my surroundings was an understatement. Pillars of crimson fire climbed up from the fractured earth and rose far above me, and out of my sight. The spirits of men, women and children walked aimlessly, silently. I knew what they were, they were Shades, but that didn't make me any less freaked out about them. Those who looked at me were either confused by my presence, angered by my presence or gracious for my presence.

"Don't worry." Explosivo assured me. "Even though some might look like they want to hurt you, they can't."

"You wouldn't let them?" I asked.

"Of course not. But even if I wasn't around, you'd be safe. They can't interact with you physically, unless you were dead as well... or they were given blood. So try not to prick yourself on anything."

I frowned, the two of us continuing to walk in silence until we made it to a river of black water, which I think was called the Acheron River.

A Shade was resting in a boat near the shoreline. I noticed straight away that this one was different. He seemed to have a more natural appearance, and there was no distant look in his eyes. As soon as he saw us, he straightened himself up and greeted us. "Ah! I've never seen such an odd couple before!"

"Wh-what?!" I blushed. "W-we're not-"

"We need to get across the river, please." Explosivo said calmly.

The Ferryman looked at us for a few seconds. "Ah... yes... That explains why you're together... You're here to stop that troublemaker. I'll tell you what: I usually make people give me a gold coin to take them across to the other side. It usually doesn't take long to find some gold out here, but time is a luxury which we all can't afford right now. Even in this place where time doesn't flow in the same vein as what it does everywhere else, I can see the result that will occur if you do not do away with _him_. I'll take you both across, free of charge."

"That's very gracious of you." Explosivo bowed.

"Do not think anything of it." The Ferryman assured, leading us onto his boat. The boat made a creaking sound as Explosivo and I stepped onto it. The Ferryman could sense my uneasiness. "Don't worry. This boat of mine has carried those who are much heavier than yourselves." He then grabbed two oars and began to paddle them in the water, moving the boat along.

The waters were littered with two-headed serpents and monstrosities with the upper half of a horse and the lower half of a fish. I looked over at Explosivo, who was calmly taking in the sights, whereas I was close to shitting myself by just being this close to these things. Explosivo was right: I may have some knowledge on the Underworld and what it contained, and I still wasn't sure how that was apparent, but when it came down to it, I was just like everyone else. I had no experience in the matter.

It wasn't long before the boat dug into the rough, black soil. "Here we are!" The Ferryman chimed. "Do you know where to go from here?"

"Yes." Explosivo answered. "We'll be fine, don't worry..." Explosivo and I got off the boat and planted our feet into the ground that was both dead and yet, strangely, full of life.

"Take care then." The Ferryman said, before turning his boat around and setting off across the river once more, leaving Explosivo and I to our own devices.

"This way..." Explosivo muttered. I followed quickly behind him, until he stopped at a clearing, separated by a cliff. "This is as far as I can go. Only mortals can enter past this point. Roman should be on the other side."

I nodded. "Thanks... for everything..."

"It's no trouble, just kick his ass for me!" Explosivo laughed.

I smiled and turned to the clearing, before looking down at my feet to make sure I didn't step on any taproots.

Sure enough, I caught sight of a giant gate outlined with bronze, with Roman walking towards it.

"Hold it right there, Roman!" I shouted. Roman twitched, before turning back to me.

"Y-You..." is all Roman said, as he was obviously surprised to see anyone out here.

"Awww... Come on!" I pouted. "Don't you remember my name? I remember yours!" I teased.

"You never told me your name, not that I care. I have far more pressing matters to attend to, if you'll excuse me..." Roman sighed, before turning back in the direction of the gate.

"Aren't you even gonna ask how I got here?" I asked.

"I presume you died." Roman bluntly said.

"Nope!"

I could tell that Roman was getting fed up with me being around him, not that it should've stopped him in hindsight from just ignoring me, opening the gate and walking through. It did stop him though.

Roman turned off from the path to the Adamantine Gate and back towards me.

"Why are you here all alone anyway?" Roman asked. I didn't answer, instead showing him my Duel Disk, causing a grin to appear on his face. "You want to Duel me? Do you really think you can win?" Roman asked.

"Wow! You're pretty overconfident for a dead guy." I retorted.

"And you're pretty overconfident for someone who's not even a Signer!" Roman snapped.

I just smiled. It was obvious that Roman had taken it hard losing to Yusei and all.

"Look, are we gonna do this or what?" I asked. Roman closed his eyes for a while, as if focusing on something.

"The final ritual may not be taking place for a while, but that doesn't mean I'll take my time toying around with you! Time is still key to this entire war!" Final ritual...?

Roman started walking backward while facing me, to make space for a Dueling field. "What final ritual?" I asked.

"That need not concern you! You'll soon be dead, so it won't matter!" Roman yelled.

"We'll see..." I murmured, both of us raising our Duel disks up.

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Roman: 4000 LP]

"I'll start, and since time is of the essence, I'm activating Final Countdown!" Roman shouted as a bright purple fire surrounded him. "Now, if you're somehow still standing at the end of 20 turns, I am granted an automatic victory!" [Turn Count: 20]

[Roman: 2000 LP]

I twitched. Dealing with time constraints was never something I was good at. I knew I had to defeat Roman as quickly as possible, but now... 20 turns...?

"I'll end my turn by activating two Dian Keto the Cure Master and Setting a monster face-down." [Turn Count: 19]

[Roman: 4000 LP]

I smiled as I drew my card. See, I had been so caught up in what Roman was doing, that I didn't bother to check what cards I had my hand. "There's one advantage I have over you, Roman!" I shouted.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"I saw your deck when you Dueled Yusei. I know what you've got in your deck, but you have no idea what I've got in mine!"

"Just because you know what cards I have, doesn't mean you'll be able to beat me!" Roman asserted.

"No? I activate Prohibition! And I select Earthbound Immortal Uru as my target!" I said, flinging my hand forward for emphasis. "Next, I activate Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice your defensive monster to summon out Dark Magician Girl!" The blonde-haired magician quickly appeared on my side of the field and blew Roman a kiss, before she took up a battle stance. [ATK: 2000] "Finally, I activate Magical Blast, which deals 200 damage to you for every Spellcaster I have out."

Dark Magician Girl pointed her wand at Roman, before firing off a purple blast, which struck him in the chest.

[Roman: 3800 LP]

"Your move..." I gestured to Roman. [Turn Count: 18]

"I'll place one card face-down. That's all." Roman said all too smugly. [Turn Count: 17]

I quietly drew. "I see what you're doing." I said, causing Roman's eyes to widen with interest. "The card you've Set is Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, isn't it?"

Roman stayed silent, not letting me know if I was right or not. Nevertheless, I continued. "Really though, it doesn't matter what card it is, because I'm gonna beat you this turn!"

"Prove it!" Roman taunted.

"Gladly! I activate Sage's Stone, which lets me automatically Summon a Dark Magician in my deck if I've got one." I showed Roman the purple armor-clad Spellcaster before placing the card vertically in my Duel Disk. The magician appeared and pointed his staff directly at Roman [ATK: 2500].

"Don't worry though, I'm not done yet. Next, I activate Knight's Title, which transforms my Dark Magician into Dark Magician Knight!" I shouted as Dark Magician's clothing morphed into purple-tinted armor. His staff disappeared only to be replaced by a wand. [ATK: 2500]

"So what's the difference?" Roman asked, unimpressed by my display.

"There's a big one. See Dark Magician Knight comes with a very nifty special ability. When he's Summoned, I can automatically destroy one card on the field!" I grinned.

"Wh-what?"

"I'll target your face-down card!" I said, pointing to it.

Roman watched on with a look of abhor as the card disintegrated right before his eyes. "Oh, I forgot to mention that since the original Dark Magician is in the Graveyard, Dark Magician Girl's attack increases by 300." [Dark Magician Girl: ATK: 2300]

"N-no... This can't be what fate has in store for me..! To lose to a non-Signer..." Roman muttered.

"If you think a mark is what makes you powerful, you're a fool! Attack!" I ordered. Both my monsters complied and took turns attacking Roman, who could only scream in pain before collapsing on the floor.

[Roman: 0 LP]

"Ugh...! How could a non-Signer like you be so powerful...?" Roman asked as my monsters faded away. I gave Roman a look of disgust, as if everything I just said to him went in one ear and out the other.

"You really-"

"It doesn't matter now!" Roman began laughing wildly. "I can feel it! The King has entered into the realm of the living!"

"What?!" I asked.

"It's only a matter of time... All you can do now is cower in fear as the world comes to an end!" Roman said, before collapsing onto the ground once again.

Almost directly following that, the ground started to shake, and a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout my head. I clutched the sides of my head in pain as I shut my eyes tightly. And then...

Light...


	16. Fading Clarity

"Where are we?" Akiza's voice asked. I hesitantly opened my eyes and saw that I was standing behind Akiza and Mina at the front gate of Goodwin's mansion, but neither of them had noticed me yet. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if this was even really happening anymore.

"Uhh... guys...?" I asked. As soon as both girls heard my voice, they gasped and turned to me.

"Tyler! What are you doing here? We thought you had-" Mina began.

I shook my head. "It'll take more than a fall from a pissy little building to kill me. Where are the others?" I asked.

"We don't know..." Akiza muttered. "There was a flash of light and now Mina and I are here with you."

"I figured you'd show up here sooner or later!" A voice called out. We all looked ahead of us as a short man dressed in cloaked formal attire stepped out of the shadows cast by the ever-darkening sky. He had pale white face-paint and dark red lipstick on, which caused some weird thoughts to run through my head.

"You're...!" Mina trailed off.

"What is it, Mina?" I asked.

"That's Lazar Yēgā! He leads the Special Investigation Team at Sector Security. I wonder what he's doing here... and if he knows anything..." Mina trailed off once more.

"Hmmm, looks like we're missing a few people. And we even have a non-Signer in the bunch!" Lazar observed. "It seems like the power of the Crimson Dragon is becoming a little... unstable..."

"What are you talking about?!" Akiza asked.

"You'd like to know what's happening to this world, wouldn't you?" Lazar slyly said. "The answers you seek lie just beyond this gate. But first, you'll have to prove to me that you're worthy of entering!"

"Let me guess... in a Duel, right?" I asked.

"In that case, I'll fight..." Akiza piped up. "I need to..." Akiza then doubled over in pain. She must've taken more damage in her Duel with Misty than she let on.

"Akiza!" Mina shouted, running to her side. "Save your strength. You don't have the energy to fight yet..." Mina cooed, before turning to me. "Tyler, please Duel him..." she pleaded. "You're the only one who can take him on right now."

"Okay..." I whispered, turning to Lazar. "I'll be facing you!" I shouted.

"Let's get right to the point. Show me your true power!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Lazar: 4000 LP]

"I Set one monster in Defense Position, and place two cards face-down. Now let's see what a non-Signer like yourself can do!" Lazar taunted.

"A lot more than you did!" I jested. "I Set one card face-down and summon Skilled Dark Magician in Attack Mode!" The black-robed magician appeared at my side, staff in hand, ready to strike [ATK: 1900]. "Next, I activate Magical Blast! This means-"

"I know what it means!" Lazar shouted. "Honestly, it's like you're explaining this to someone who's never played before!"

"Well, you don't look like a regular player, what with all the makeup and everything." I chuckled.

"Tyler!" Mina shouted. "Lazar may not look like it to you, but he's a very powerful Duelist!"

"Stronger than Roman?" I asked, turning back to her.

"The Director's brother...? W-well... I'm not..." Mina trailed off. "No... I don't suppose so..."

"Then I've already won." I said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Akiza asked.

"I met with Roman, in the Underworld... He was no trouble at all. Of course, I have Yusei to thank for that. After all, he Dueled Roman before me and I was able to get a look at his deck. Believe you me, Roman was nothing! A rank amateur at best. If you surrender and let us pass, you'll be doing yourself a favor." I know, I was being overly cocky. To be honest, I was banking on this guy that he would surrender. I knew nothing about his deck, and I wasn't sure that I could win.

"If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I never give up!" Lazar shouted proudly. "I reveal Dark Bribe, to negate Magical Blast!" Lazar flung his hand out as my card fizzled away and I drew a new one from my deck.

"Fine. I'll Set the card I just drew face-down and Attack your Defense monster with Skilled Dark Magician!" I shouted. My monster complied, using his staff to blast at Lazar's monster, which was destroyed instantaneously. "I end my turn."

"Here I come!" Lazar jovially said, drawing his card. "I activate Dark Room of Nightmare! In addition, I'll Set a monster and place one card face-down. I now end my turn."

"Since you activated a Spell Card, Skilled Dark Magician gets a Spell Counter." [Spell Counter: 1] "I'll also take back Magical Blast from my Graveyard instead of drawing this turn. Next, I summon Gemini Elf!"

The scantly-dressed elf twins appeared on the opposite side of my other monster, before turning to face Lazar. [ATK: 1900]

"Next, I activate Magical Blast, dealing damage to you while also giving my Skilled Dark Magician another Spell Counter. [Skilled Dark Magician: Spell Counters: 2]

[Lazar: 3600 LP]

"Attack!" I shouted.

"Not so fast!" Lazar shouted dramatically. "Allow me to introduce you to my Trap Card, Waboku! As I'm sure you know, Waboku reduces all damage you inflict to 0."

Three robed men materialized in front of my monsters, causing them to edge back slightly. "Your turn..." I sighed.

Lazar's grin grew wide as he drew his card. "I sacrifice both of your monsters to summon Lava Golem to your side of the field in Defense Mode!"

My eyes widened as both of my monsters disappeared and a steel cage formed around me. "God damn it..." I muttered. [DEF: 2500]

"I'll end my turn at that..." Lazar grinned.

"Then for this turn, I draw." taking a card from my deck, I narrowly dodged some falling lava from the monster behind me.

[Tyler: 3000 LP]

"Tyler!" Mina and Akiza shouted.

"Ahem... Is there a problem?" Lazar taunted. I sighed. "Well if there isn't one, the effect of Dark Room of Nightmare may prove to be one."

I looked on as Lava Golem's shadow grew, covering me as I was overcome with a faint dizziness.

[Tyler: 2700 LP]

"Okay..." I cringed. "I switch Lava Golem to Attack Mode [ATK: 3000] and summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" I shouted as the robed man appeared and various elements appeared around him [ATK: 1600]. "Rapid-Fire, Attack Lazar's Set card, and Lava Golem, Attack directly!"

Both my monsters did as asked and Lazar was knocked to the ground.

[Lazar: 600 LP]

Lazar shakily stood back up, clutching his shoulder. "I may have underestimated you."

"I gave you the chance to give up early, but that offer's off the table now. I end my turn..." I muttered.

Lazar weakly drew from his deck, before placing whatever card he drew face-down. "Go..." he murmured.

"Then I draw..." I began, sidestepping out of the way of more falling lava.

[Tyler: 1700 LP]

"...and activate Heavy Storm to clear the field!" I shouted as Lazar went bug-eyed, his last line of defense obliterated. "Rapid-Fire... Attack!"

Rapid-Fire's elements circled his body, slowly increasing in speed until a wave was unleashed that knocked Lazar back onto the ground.

[Lazar: 0 LP]

Lazar quickly stood back up, wiping the dust off of his clothes. "That was quite the Duel! I think you just might be good enough!" he chuckled.

Lazar then simply walked right on passed us. I think all of us were too stunned by Lazar's actions to even say or do anything at that point.

"What was that all about...?" Akiza asked.

I could feel a slight tremor in the ground, which soon increased in magnitude to a full-blown earthquake. As quickly as it began, it ended, and Akiza, Mina and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions on our faces.

"What's going on?!" Mina shouted. To tell you the truth, I was getting sick of all the earthquakes, and the flashing lights, and the monsters, and the screaming. I mean really, that's enough for one day!

"Look! Goodwin's mansion!" Akiza said, pointing to it.

I turned, and up past the gate I could see that Goodwin's mansion was now several hundred storeys higher, with a majestic stone staircase preceding it.

I heard the rushing of footsteps behind me. I turned and saw Yusei and Trudge heading towards us.

"What's happening?!" Yusei asked once having caught up to Mina. Mina simply pointed to the mansion once more, causing Yusei's eyes to widen. "That's the temple that was beneath the mansion...?"

"The temple suddenly started rising when Tyler beat Lazar in a Duel." Akiza explained.

"Tyler?" Yusei asked, before turning to me. "Y...You're alive! What happened?! In the light, we all-"

"I went to the Underworld, like you Yusei." I said.

"You did?"

I nodded. "I defeated Roman in a Duel while I was down there-"

"Roman was there?!" Yusei asked, visibly shocked.

"Yeah, don't worry though. He was real easy to take down. I'd even say Lazar was harder. Anyway, right after my Duel with Roman, I heard this incredibly loud scream and I was blinded by a flash of light. Next thing I know, I'm standing at the front of the mansion with these two lovely ladies." I explained. Both Akiza and Mina blushed slightly at the end of my explanation, but I saw Trudge get a little angry at my remark. Hmmm, Trudge does seem a little different when he's with Mina. A crush perhaps?

"Lazar appeared at the gate to test us, but Akiza was still a bit drained from her Duel with Misty, so Tyler Dueled instead." Mina explained. "I didn't realize that you were such a good Duelist!" Mina smiled, turning to me.

Now it was my turn to blush. "Thanks..." I murmured shyly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Akiza muttered.

"Luna and Leo aren't here?" Trudge asked.

"I thought they were with you guys!" I shouted.

"They disappeared in the flash of light. So did Crow and Jack." Trudge said.

"So we're all split up..." I muttered.

"They may have been teleported somewhere by the power of the Crimson Dragon." Yusei hypothesized. "For now, let's go check out that temple, Tyler."

I nodded, before straightening myself up.

"Tetsu, you guys stay here." Yusei ordered.

"Yusei?!" Trudge shouted, sounding flabbergasted.

"We don't know what might be in there. Plus, Luna, Leo, Jack and Crow might arrive here soon." Yusei said.

"All right..." Trudge mumbled.

Yusei walked up to me and sighed. "Are you ready to go in?"

"Only Hell yeah!" I shouted, causing Yusei to chuckle lightly.

"Tyler..." Yusei muttered. "If anything bad happens in there, I want you to know that you've been a great friend. I'm sorry that we weren't able to help you get your memories back."

"No biggie!" I assured him. "All the stuff that's happening right now will make pretty good memories, I reckon. And I'm sorry that I acted so rash back there with Sayer. To be honest, I'm not exactly proud of how I acted then. To be even more honest, I am. But that doesn't change the fact that what I tried to do was wrong. You were right, Yusei..."

"Wow..." Yusei muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"I could never forgive Roman for what he's done. Even just thinking about all of the things he's done... You're a better person than I am."

"Well that's just not true..." I muttered.

"Tyler, if I may ask... What made you change your mind about how you felt?" Yusei asked.

"Well," I began, trying to think of the best words to say. "It's either laugh or cry, and I'm done crying."

Yusei smiled as Akiza ran over to us. "Akiza?"

"Wait up! "I'm coming too!" Akiza insisted.

"Okay." Yusei said as both his and Akiza's Signer Marks lit up. Immediately after that, the front gate of Goodwin's mansion unlocked itself.

Without another word, Akiza and Yusei walked through the gate and headed towards the temple. As for me, I had this weird feeling that once I walked through that gate, I wouldn't be able to return.

I closed my eyes, before breathing in and out slowly. When I opened my eyes, I began walking through the gate to meet with Akiza and Yusei at the foot of the temple.


	17. Betrayal – The End of an Era

I met with Yusei and Akiza at the water fountain, the dark red sky slowly turning pitch-black. Luckily, a strong source of light was emitting from both Yusei and Akiza's Signer Marks. I slowly walked up to them, whilst taking in the sights. "So, this is really the temple that used to be underground?" Yusei asked.

"The temple... it looks ancient, probably of Aztec, Inca or Maya origin..." I muttered.

"I wonder why it chose now to surface..." Akiza murmured.

Akiza, Yusei and I became silent as we saw a while-haired, well-dressed man walk down the staircase. It might just've been me, but I swore that I could hear Latin chanting in the distance.

As the figure got closer, I realized that it was Rex Goodwin, the one who tasked us with defeating the Dark Signers, who was now standing at the summit of the stairway. "I've been waiting for you." Goodwin said calmly, still keeping both hands behind his back. "I see that not everyone is here yet. Oh well, I'm sure they'll arrive at the appointed time."

"Goodwin! What's going on here?!" Yusei shouted as he, Akiza and I ran up to him. "Also, I heard the door to the Underworld was about to open..."

"You are correct, Yusei." Once again, Goodwin spoke very calmly. "Fortunately, it's too late for you to stop it."

"Fortunately...?" I mumbled. He made it seem like it's a good thing we failed.

"But then, that means..." Akiza trailed off.

"Yes." Goodwin nodded. "This world is finished."

We all gasped. I wasn't so much in shock about the coming of Armageddon. I was more in shock over how Goodwin could be so calm at a time like this.

"The King of the Underworld is heading towards this temple at this very moment." Goodwin explained.

"What do you mean?!" Yusei shouted.

"I mean," Goodwin began as a smile swept across his face. "I summoned him here. You see, this temple is the site of the sacred ritual that was once used to welcome him. I plan to re-enact the ritual and complete the divine summoning."

"No way... Goodwin, you...!" Yusei shouted.

"You tricked us!?" Akiza added.

Son of a bitch...

Goodwin turned back to face the temple ever so briefly. "Do you see now? Yes, all is going precisely according to plan. To successfully perform the ritual, I used the power of the Crimson Dragon to summon you Signers here." Goodwin turned to Yusei. "Unfortunately, the Crimson Dragon's power has been dispersed and is therefore currently incomplete..."

"Why are you doing this?!" Akiza yelled.

"The King never needed the power of the Dark Signers or the Earthbound Immortals to escape his Tartarian Prison. Thankfully though, they served their purpose to preoccupy each of you until I could get my plan into motion. As for why, dear Akiza, I don't expect someone like you to understand my reasons for doing this..."

The color of Goodwin's eyes turned pitch-black, just like Devack's, Kalin's and Misty's eyes all had. "However, if you take a look at this, then perhaps maybe you can begin to fathom the scope of my reasoning..." Goodwin then proceeded to take off his suit and collared shirt.

We just stood there stunned, until Goodwin's now shirtless body began to glow. Then a Dark Signer Mark made its way down from Goodwin's face, to his chest, and presumably across his whole body. "Do you see now?!" he asked.

"That's a... so... you're a...?" Yusei trailed off. Goodwin just laughed.

"Enough of the idle chit-chat. I think it's time that we commence the ritual, don't you?"

"Goodwin! Why?! Why are you doing this?!" Yusei persisted in asking.

"If you want to know the answer to that question, you'll first have to defeat me in a Duel!" Goodwin shouted.

"A Duel?" Akiza asked.

"That's right. However, since there are three of you, defeating you one at a time would prove to be too tedious and troublesome... So why don't I just take all three of you down together!" Goodwin shouted.

"A three-on-one Duel?" Yusei asked.

"Are you up for it?" Goodwin taunted.

"Leave Tyler out of this! He's not a Signer! He shouldn't have to fight you!" Akiza shouted defensively.

"He already got himself involved when he assisted Luna in taking down Devack and when he defeated my brother in Erebus."

"You knew about that?" I asked.

Goodwin nodded. "As far as I'm concerned, you're as much a part of this war as Yusei and Akiza!"

"If that's the case, I will Duel!" I shouted, causing both Yusei's and Akiza's eyed to widen. "However, on the condition that you leave _Akiza_ out of this!"

"Why would you, a regular human, want to take the place of a Signer?" Goodwin asked.

"Because, I..." I trailed off. "I promised myself that I wouldn't let anything happen to her!"

"Tyler..." Akiza muttered.

"Akiza is one of the only people that I have memories of. She's also one of my most treasured friends!" I shouted, turning to Akiza. "So I'll gladly risk my life to protect you..."

"That's an honorable request... but also a stupid one..." Goodwin muttered. "If you really wish to fight me, I have no problem with you taking her place."

"You don't have to do this, Tyler!" Akiza shouted.

"Yes I do..." I murmured. "I have to do this for you, Luna, Okita, Liquid, Joel and all of the Duel Spirits. I made a promise that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. And Tyler Nochi never breaks a promise!" I grinned.

"Well then," Goodwin began, drawing our attention back to him. "Since it's both of you against me, I'll start with 16000 Life Points."

"16000?! That hardly seems fair!" I protested.

"Do we have any other choice than to do what he says...?" Yusei asked.

"I suppose you're right..." I murmured. "And Yusei, what I said, you're still my friend. I'm not disputing that, but I made a promise within myself that I need to keep. And to walk away from a Duel is forfeit. For Joel, I will not forfeit!"

"Tyler-" Yusei began.

"I'm sure that you consider me a friend on a much deeper level than I do you, but you have to understand why."

"I do, and I want you to know that you'll always be my friend no matter what."

"Thanks, Yusei..." I muttered.

"Are you two done talking?" Goodwin asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Tyler, in Tag Duels, the combination of you and your partner is the most important thing! Let's show Goodwin what we've got!"

"Right!" I nodded.

Yusei and I proceeded to pump our fists into the air as we activated our Duel Disks.

"Be careful you two!" Akiza shouted, stepping back to allow us to have more room to Duel.

"Duel!"

[Tyler & Yusei: 8000 LP]  
[Goodwin: 16000 LP]

"I shall begin this Duel..." Goodwin muttered as he drew. "I Set one card face-down and Summon one monster face-down. I end my turn."

"Yusei, you take the first move for our team." I insisted.

"Okay." Yusei drew. "I'll place a monster face-down and one Set card as well. Your move, Goodwin!"

"Then I'll Set another card and Summon Giant Germ in Attack Mode!" A huge ball of filth seemed to rise up out of nowhere [ATK: 1000] "Next, I reveal my Set monster, Mystic Tomato!" A mutant tomato materialized on the field and stuck its tongue out at me, causing me to edge back. [ATK: 1400]

"Attack Yusei's monster!" Goodwin ordered.

"I reveal my Trap Card, Mirror Force!" Yusei shouted.

I sighed as a reflective barrier formed around Yusei's card as Goodwin's monsters collided into it, destroying them.

"I end my turn..." Goodwin muttered.

I felt my body begin to shake uncontrollably. I knew this would be the toughest Duel I'd ever have to fight in, and I couldn't afford to screw up and drag Yusei down.

"What's wrong? Run out of options so soon?" Goodwin asked, noticing my plight.

No sweat, Tyler. No sweat. "I draw..." I mumbled, shakily drawing my card. "I activate Heavy Storm to destroy your face-downs!" A cyclone brewed and swept Goodwin's Set cards away, leaving him defenseless. "Next, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" I threw the card on the Duel Disk as the elfin warrior appeared, sword in hand. [ATK: 1400] "Attack directly!" I shouted.

I watched as the warrior jumped into the air and brought his sword down on Goodwin's neck. I was slightly unnerved to find that he didn't even flinch from the blow.

[Goodwin: 14600 LP]

"Nice!" Yusei cheered.

I smiled from the praise. "I'll finish off by placing one card face-down. Your move."

Goodwin casually drew. "All I shall do for this turn is Set one monster."

"Then it's my move!" Yusei shouted. "Obnoxious Celtic Guard, Attack!"

My monster looked to me for approval and I gave a quick nod. He turned back and sliced Goodwin's card in half.

"Fool! The monster you destroyed was Giant Germ! Now, not only will you take damage to your life points,"

[Tyler & Yusei: 7500 LP]

"But I'll also be able to Special Summon another Giant Germ to my field!" Goodwin finished, another disgusting brown ball appearing on his side of the field [ATK: 1000].

"Then I'll Set a monster and end my turn..." Yusei growled.

"For my turn, I shall Set one monster, and switch Giant Germ to Defensive Mode." Goodwin gently moved the cards around on his Duel Disk. [DEF: 100] "Make your move."

I drew my card and looked at it with a smile: Explosivo. I knew that I wouldn't be able to Summon him without sacrificing other high level monsters first, so I decided to keep him in my hand for the moment and use an alternate strategy. "I Summon Defender, the Magical Knight!"

The caped magician with the massive shield made himself known, and I took it upon myself to go on the attack. [ATK: 1600] [Spell Counters: 1]

"Obnoxious Celtic Guard, attack Giant Germ!" I shouted. Once again, the huge ball of muck was destroyed, and we took damage due to its destruction.

[Tyler & Yusei: 7000 LP]

"Defender, attack Goodwin's Set card." Defender's dagger pierced through the card, revealing Spirit Reaper.

"Spirit Reaper cannot be destroyed by battle." Goodwin stated plainly.

"That's fine. I end my turn." I murmured as Goodwin drew his card.

"I activate the Field Spell Card known as Terraforming. This card lets me add Mausoleum of the Emperor to my hand. Finally, I Set one card in my Field Spell Zone."

"My turn. I switch Defender to Defense Mode [DEF: 2000] and end." Yusei shouted bluntly.

"I Set one card face-down and reveal my Mausoleum of the Emperor!" Goodwin shouted.

Ahead of us, a great fire materialized around the temple and the ground shook once more.

"Wh-what is this?!" Akiza asked.

Goodwin smiled. "As part of Mausoleum's effect, I pay 2000 life points, to Summon the Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca!"

[Goodwin: 12600 LP]

Yusei, Akiza and I watched in horror as the giant monster appeared and flew up high into the sky, before perching itself at the top of the temple. [ATK: 1]

I heard Akiza scream. I looked behind and saw that she was now on her knees, clutching her arm tightly. Yusei seemed to be in pain too. I realized that this Earthbound Immortal was unlike any of the others I had seen. I cringed.

"I activate the effect of Wiraqocha Rasca, sending my Set card back to my Deck to discard a card from either one of your hands... So, Yusei... Discard the card on your left."

Yusei did as he was told and sent the card in his hand to the Graveyard. Honestly, I was so happy that Goodwin didn't target me. If he had of, I knew that I'd end up discarding Explosivo.

"Now that your card has been discarded, Wiraqocha Rasca's attack points increase." Goodwin stated.

[Wiraqocha Rasca: ATK: 1100]

"Attack Yusei directly!" Goodwin yelled. I could do nothing but watch as Yusei was struck down by the mighty beast. When the dust cleared, I saw that Yusei was breathing heavily and had forced one of his eyes shut.

[Tyler & Yusei: 5900 LP]

"Yusei!" Akiza shouted, greatly concerned.

"You're okay, right?" I added.

"Y... yeah..." Yusei murmured.

"I'll end my turn at that." Goodwin smiled.

I drew, now more determined than ever to beat Goodwin. "I Set two cards face-down. Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive Yusei's Ghost Gardna!" [DEF: 1900] "Next, I sacrifice Ghost Gardna and Obnoxious Celtic Guard to Summon Dark Magician!"

The purple-dressed Spellcaster appeared before pointing his staff at Goodwin. [ATK: 2500]

"Next, I reveal my face-down Mind Control!" I shouted. "I choose Spirit Reaper as my target!"

I pointed at Spirit Reaper as he began to melt. I knew that by targeting Spirit Reaper, I could destroy it.

"So you hang on to a thread?" Goodwin asked incredulously.

"I activate Knight's Title!" I continued, ignoring Goodwin. Dark Magician's clothing morphed into purple-tinted armor. His staff disappeared only to be replaced by a sword. [ATK: 2500] "Then I use Dark Magician Knight's ability to destroy Wiraqocha Rasca!"

Dark Magician Knight leapt high into the air as his sword cut clean through Goodwin's Earthbound Immortal, leaving him with nothing.

"Amazing..." Akiza muttered. "Tyler took down Goodwin's ultimate monster.

"Attack Goodwin directly!" Dark Magician Knight pivoted around, stabbing Goodwin in the chest with his sword. This time, Goodwin reacted noticeably, blood oozing out of his chest. I smiled.

[Goodwin: 10100 LP]

"I'll stop there..." I said.

Goodwin drew slowly, obviously thinking through every possible move, due to the situation I put him in. "I'll Set a monster, and a face-down. Your move, Yusei."

At this point in the Duel, I was pretty chuffed to have been able to take down Goodwin's Ace Monster. I knew that Yusei would be able to carry on from the awesome play that I made and defeat Goodwin.

"I sacrifice one of my two Set monsters to Summon Turret Warrior in Defense Mode!" Yusei shouted as the massive monster appeared in front of him and assumed a crouching Position. [DEF: 2000]. "That's it..." Yusei muttered.

I sighed quietly to myself. Yusei must've gotten a bad draw, that's all. He couldn't be completely out of options... could he...?

"My, my, Yusei. Running on empty?" Goodwin chuckled. "I reveal my face-down Lightning Vortex, which-"

"Okay, Ima stop you right there," I piped up. "I activate Magic Jammer, discarding this to negate your spell." I slid Explosivo into my Graveyard as Goodwin's lightning bolts shattered like glass.

"Very well... I end my turn..." Goodwin murmured.

I excitedly drew, already having mapped everything out in my head.

"Tyler looks so..." Akiza trailed off.

"I reveal Call of the Haunted!" I shouted, flinging my hand out for emphasis as my Set card rose up. I supposed I would have to finish Goodwin off on my own. "I'm sure you know what this card does, so I'll just cut to the chase." I flung my hand forward. "Come forth, The Embodiment of Light - Explosivo!" I shouted.

The armored warrior who was also my spirit companion materialized beside me, sword resting on his shoulder. He turned back to me and gave me a thumbs up, while I nodded to him silently.

"I discard 34 cards from my deck to give Explosivo his attack power." I stated, picking up pretty much my entire deck and putting into the Graveyard, bit by bit.

[Explosivo: ATK: 10200]

"Dark Magician Knight, Attack Goodwin's defending monster!" I shouted, my knight doing just that. "...and now... Explosivo," I began turning to him. "Would you do me the honor of getting rid of the rest of his life points?"

Explosivo just chuckled, turned to Goodwin and ran his sword through his chest before anyone could say another word. Goodwin dropped to the ground as Explosivo pulled his sword out of his body.

[Goodwin: 0 LP]

The cards on the field faded away as a silence took hold. There was no more Latin chanting. Goodwin wasn't breathing.

"Is he...?" Akiza asked just as Goodwin's body twitched and his eyes shot open.

Goodwin stood back up and smiled, which freaked me out a bit, considering he had been stabbed in the chest twice and survived. "Not bad. I see you're quite strong... Which means you'll make an even more delectable sacrifice for the King of the Underworld!"

"What?!" Yusei shouted. "That's the only reason you agreed to Duel us?"

"But of course, Yusei. The energy of both a powerful Duelist and a Signer are needed in order to initiate the ritual." Goodwin explained. So I was used because I was a powerful Duelist? I didn't know whether to feel insulted for being used, or be flattered that Goodwin thought I was a powerful Duelist...

Eventually, I decided to go with being flattered.

We all covered our eyes as a white light temporarily blinded us. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Goodwin was also no longer standing in front of us. Instead, Goodwin was now standing a fair way's away, at the top of the temple. "Ah, how perfect... It seems as if the others have arrived as well." I heard Goodwin say. Somehow, although Goodwin was so very far away, I could easily hear his voice.

"Others?" I asked.

"Hey, everybody!" Akiza shouted, motioning to us.

I turned around to, just noticing then that we were in the company of Jack, Crow, Leo, Luna, Trudge and Mina. Yusei's, Crow's and Jack's Duel Runners were also here now as well. As soon as Luna saw me, she burst into tears, ran up to me and hugged me tightly, burying her face in my chest. "L-Luna!?" I stammered.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Tyler! I thought you were a goner! That you... you..." Luna trailed off, sobbing all the while.

Leo then ran up to me as well. "We thought you died and went to heaven!" Leo continued on from where Luna left off, although he didn't need to.

"Nah, don't worry about it." I assured them. "I'm fine."

"Yusei? Tyler? What the?!" Trudge exclaimed.

"Tetsu!" Yusei shouted, turning to face the group. "The Crimson Dragon must've brought you all here..." he muttered.

"Hey," Crow began, pointing to the staircase, or more accurately, the figure standing on top of it. "Isn't that..." he trailed off.

"Director?!" Mina asked, astonished.

"What's going on here?!" Jack barked.

"It was Goodwin that was trying to summon the King of the Underworld." Akiza explained, causing everyone besides herself, Yusei and I to gasp in complete and utter shock.

"So he was the bad guy?! I can't let him get away with this!" Leo shouted.

"You're all so eager, and yet you don't have the slightest clue of what's going on right now!" Goodwin teased. "Allow me to start at the very beginning!"

Goodwin then revealed to us a large glass container situated next to him.

"What is that?" Luna asked as all of the Signer Marks began to glow intensely.

"It must be the Mark of the Fifth Signer!" Yusei shouted. "But what would Goodwin, a Dark Signer, want with the final mark?"

Goodwin started laughing hysterically, before digging into his robotic arm with his human hand and pulling it clean off, blood splattering everywhere.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Jack shouted, now wide-eyed.

Goodwin proceeded to reach into the glass container and pulled out a muscular human hand, before looking it over. "The arm that I had reconstructed for myself was nothing but a conduit so that I could one day transfer the power of the Crimson Dragon over to me!" Goodwin gloated.

He then literally shoved the arm into his own open socket as blood continued to pour out. I was surprised that he wasn't in any noticeable pain. Realistically, I shouldn't have been surprised at all, given what Goodwin's pain tolerance seemed to be.

"Now..." Goodwin grunted. "I am all-powerful. I have both the powers of a Signer and a Dark Signer."

The ground trembled once again as the temple that Goodwin was now at the top of rose even higher into the air.

"Oh no! This again?!" Akiza shouted, similarly irritated like how I was with all of the earthquakes and whatnot.

"Everyone take cover!" Jack shouted.

"This temple... shall be a testament of my glory!" Goodwin shouted, confusing me as I was still able to hear him quite clearly. "With the power of the Wicked Gods and the Crimson Dragon, I have become the almighty himself!"

"Wicked Gods...?" I murmured

"What are you talking about?!" Crow asked.

"Very well," Goodwin sighed. "I'll tell you if it will make you cease this barrage of questions. My brother, Roman, had both the mark of a Signer and a Dark Signer on his body. However, his soul was nearly taken over by the Wicked Gods. It was then that he sawed off his arm to rid himself of the Signer Mark, which he entrusted to me."

"But how did-" Yusei began.

"That way, when all the Signers come together, they could defeat the Dark Signers, including himself. But then, I realized something: that even if defeated, the Dark Signers would rise again, and the Nine Worlds would be forced to face the threat once more." Goodwin continued.

"Nine worlds?!" Jack asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there's the human world." I began.

"The Spirit World," Luna added.

"And Erebus, Asphoda, Elysia, and a bunch of other ones." I finished.

"Anyway!" Goodwin shouted, causing us all to refocus on him. "I decided to end this tedious repetition that had plagued us for so long."

"So you... You willingly...?" Yusei trailed. "Do you really think you can do that?!"

"Of course! I will not only finish the great battle between the Crimson Dragon and the Wicked Gods, but I will also complete the ritual to revive the King of the Underworld and bring him here!"

"You actually think that we'll help you in your diabolical plan?!" Jack asked.

"You're insane!" Crow shouted.

"So many innocent people will die!" Akiza pointed out. "I can't let you do that!"

"Not to mention that you're bringing the Spirit World into all of this..." Luna piped up.

"Yeah! You're gonna make everyone suffer!" agreed Leo.

"I do not care what you have to say!" Goodwin bellowed. "I will complete the ritual, kill you all, and reign by the side of the King!"

"You're freaking crazy! You're the one who asked Yusei for his help in the first place!" Crow shouted.

"I had my reasons for doing so, but a pathetic non-Signer such as yourself does not have the right to judge my actions. Now then, we shall Duel on the crest of the condor."

"Are you serious?!" I yelled. "We _just_ did this!"

"Fine, Goodwin!" Yusei shouted, as I turned to him.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"We don't have a choice!" Yusei insisted, activating his Duel Disk once more, eliciting a laugh from Goodwin. "What's so funny?!"

"In case you hadn't noticed, the reason why I'm up here isn't to have another standard Duel with you. No, I want to Turbo Duel you!" Goodwin shouted. As soon as Goodwin said this, my anger at having to possibly partake in another Duel disappeared.

"Oh... Well that's me out." I said nonchalantly, causing everyone to turn to me. "Oh, and Akiza, Luna, Leo and anyone else who wanted to have a crack. Oh well. Good luck, you three." I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Well, only you three have Duel Runners." I said, pointing to Crow, Jack and Yusei. "So I guess it's you three against Goodwin then."

"Fine!" Jack shouted, getting on his Duel Runner and sliding the helmet on his head. "Bring it on! Jack Atlas isn't afraid of anyone!"

"That's right!" Crow cheered. "We're gonna soar as high as the Legendary Man in this Duel!" Crow got on his Duel Runner and revved it a couple times.

"You guys..." Yusei muttered.

"Don't ask us not to get involved, Yusei!" Jack shouted. "A true Duelist never backs down from a challenge!"

"We're not letting you do this alone, buddy!" Crow hyped.

"Then let's do this!" Yusei shouted, getting onto his Duel Runner and following suit.

"Go guys! Beat him, yeah!" Leo cheered, throwing his fist into the air.

"You can do it!" Luna added.

"Finish him!" I shouted as Yusei, Jack and Crow sped off towards Goodwin.

It was weird. I had expected to be able to hear Goodwin like I had before when he was so far away, but I couldn't anymore.

An awkward silence followed. I knew that this would be one of the most difficult Duels that Yusei would probably ever have to fight in, and I was split in regards to my feelings. I did feel a bit 'left out' of everything because I didn't have my Duel Runner on me and I wanted to help, but there was also a part of me that didn't want to go through another Duel with this weirdo. That being said, even if I did have my Runner on me, I probably wouldn't even know how to ride it properly and I end up just dragging Yusei and the others down.

"So, uh..." I turned to Akiza, Leo and Luna, who were standing beside me. "Is anyone else, like, starving or what?"

"Yes!" Leo shouted in answer to my question, his mouth now agape.

"All right! Well I got my phone, so who's up for pizza?" I asked.

"I am! I am!" Leo started jumping up and down.

"Awesome! Hey, Tetsu, you'll pay right?" I asked.

"How can you both talk like this?" Trudge muttered.

"What do you mean?" I enquired.

"Yusei, Jack and Crow have just gone off to face the toughest Duel of their lives, and you're talking about food!"

"Okay, Trudge. Here's the thing." I began. "What you guys weren't here for, right before you guys showed up, Yusei and I had just beaten Goodwin in a Tag Duel."

"You battled Goodwin?!" Luna and Mina shouted, before turning to Akiza as if for approval, or to check if I was telling the truth.

"Tyler took my place in the Duel, because he..." Akiza looked over at me, as I shyly averted our gaze once our eyes met. "Tyler managed to take down Goodwin's Earthbound Immortal and score the winning blow."

"You're welcome..." I heard Explosivo's voice echo cheekily in my head. Luna frantically looked around, obviously having heard it too.

"Did he...?"

"Yeah, Yusei didn't really set me up very well." I joked. "But I realized Goodwin's strategy relied too much on his Earthbound Immortal. Getting rid of it pretty much clinched the match for me."

"Well if you can beat Goodwin, then against Yusei, Jack and Crow, he's toast." Trudge grinned while I squinted. Was that an insult?

"Hey now!" Mina piped up. "I don't think you give Tyler enough credit. If Tyler was able to take down the Director's Earthbound Immortal, then he's obviously a fantastic Duelist, Signer or non-Signer!"

"Oh stop, you!" I blushed from Mina's praise.

"Man, I REALLY wanna Duel you now!" Leo psyched himself.

I smiled and chucked at Leo's eagerness. It was nice to be wanted, I guess. "After all of this is over, I promise I'll Duel you!"

"Sweet!" Leo cheered.

"Ah! Our marks..." Luna muttered, causing Leo and I to turn to her.

"What is it, Luna?" Leo asked.

"They're gone!" Akiza shouted.

"Then the Director must be..." Mina trailed off.

"We gotta stop Goodwin, but how?" Luna panicked.

"By winning..." Akiza said simply.

"That's all easy to say, but it's not like we can actually do anything!" Trudge stated.

"So standing around and watching people play cards on their Duel Runners is perfectly fine, but when I wanna eat something, it's wrong?" I asked, turning to Trudge.

"Guys?" Mina asked.

"No, I'm saying that you shouldn't make light of what's going on!" Trudge insisted.

"Guys?!" Mina repeated.

"You said yourself that if I could beat Goodwin, it would no problem for Jack and Crow to do the same. As far as I'm concerned, I don't even need to be here!"

"Guys!" Mina shouted.

"What?!" we asked, turning to her.

"Look!" she pointed to the sky, where Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca had just appeared.

"Is that...?" Leo asked.

"Wiraqocha Rasca... Goodwin's ace..." I muttered. But he wasn't alone. As Goodwin's divine creature flapped its wings, it was accompanied by many black birds. Ravens, I think.

"Tyler, give me whatever strong monsters you've got in your deck." Akiza ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm gonna use my psychic powers to give the monsters corporeal form so that they can fight off those birds." Akiza said.

"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea!" Trudge shouted.

"All right..." I muttered, handing Akiza my Dark Magician Knight, Brain Crusher and Explosivo.

"Don't forget about me!" Luna chirped, giving Akiza her Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"Okay..." Akiza tensed, laying out the cards we had given her along her Duel Disk. "Finally, arise! Black Rose Dragon!" she shouted, throwing her own monster down on the Duel disk.

All five monsters materialized and looked back at Akiza, awaiting orders. "Let 'em have it!" she shouted.

The monsters all glided over to the battlefield, and were able to easily take out the birds.

"I can hear the voices of the Spirit World... They're all cheering us on!" Luna shouted happily.

"Looks like we can help out after all..." I muttered.

"If Goodwin's gonna play it like that, then he's gonna have to answer to us!" Akiza said.

"Yeah! We can all take him down together!" Leo cheered.

"We've got you guys covered!" Trudge yelled, projecting his voice forward. Although Yusei and the others were so far away now, that I wasn't sure that any of them were able to hear us. Even so, I'm sure they appreciated the gesture.

Or maybe not, seeing as how straight after our 'intervention', Wiraqocha Rasca Attacked and destroyed all our monsters like it was nothing.

"N-no way..." my voice wavered. I was shocked that Wiraqocha Rasca was able to take down Dark Magician Knight, when in my last Duel, my monster easily took down Goodwin's.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon..." Luna murmured.

We could just barely look on as the resulting shockwaves from Wiraqocha Rasca's Attack caused Crow's Duel Runner to spin out as he was flung off of it, landing face-down in the dirt.

"Crow!" we all shouted.

Wiraqocha Rasca then proceeded to knock Jack off of his Duel Runner as well.

"No... Jack..." I whispered, closing my eyes. "Please, Yusei... don't die... take Goodwin down..."

Although my eyes were closed, a faint light seeped through my eyelids, slowly growing in intensity. When the light faded, I was standing in pure darkness, only able to see my own body.

"Give Yusei your thoughts and prayers, for he cannot win this without you..." Explosivo's voice sounded.

I smiled lightly. "I'm sorry that I began to doubt myself again..."

"Give Yusei the power you have! Send him your strength!" Explosivo shouted.

"Yes!" I shouted, clenching my fist

"Our marks..." Luna murmured.

"They're back!" Akiza shouted.

We looked on as Yusei summoned his Majestic Star Dragon, which instantaneously charged through Wiraqocha Rasca.

An array of light flickered down from the sky, the temple disappeared and the sky slowly lost its darkness.

"Everything's goin' back to normal!" Trudge cheered.

"It's all so pretty!" Luna gawked.

"Then it's... it's over..." I muttered.

We all waited at the entrance for Yusei to return. Eventually though, we could see Yusei, Jack and Crow all riding towards us, and all looking pretty banged up. When they were a considerable distance closer, we all ran up to them.

"Yusei! That Duel was incredible!" Luna shouted.

"I knew you could win!" Leo cheered.

"Thanks guys... but I couldn't have done it alone..." Yusei stated.

"Yeah, we all pitched in." Crow said weakly.

"So Goodwin's gone then?" Trudge asked.

"That's right. The power of friendship allowed us to overcome all the obstacles that we were presented with and bring peace to this world once again." Yusei said.

We then all turned to look at lights that were flickering all around us. All of us looked at the lights, probably taking it all in that the struggle, the war was finally over.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"We go home..." Yusei muttered.

Everyone around me nodded, turned and went to their respective vehicles. Jack, Crow and Yusei slowly rode away on their Duel Runners, where as Akiza, Mina, Leo, Luna, Trudge and I got into the patrol cars and drove away from Goodwin's mansion.

Sure, we had defeated the Dark Signers and prevented the King of the Underworld from crossing over to Earth, but when Yusei said 'home', I dunno, I just felt this sort of emptiness inside me. I needed to find myself... the old me, get back on to the path to becoming the person I was, and come through on the promises I had yet to fulfil...


	18. Rock Bottom

Leo and Luna ever-so-graciously offered for me to stay with them at their apartment in The Tops for the night. Crow had told me that he would come by in the morning to take me back to the Satellite, as he was still feeling a bit weak from his Duel with Goodwin. Crow was staying at Mina's place with Jack for the moment, while Yusei was off trying to negotiate with Sector Security about Goodwin's promise to finish the Daedalus Bridge. When I accepted the twins' offer, I had no idea that their apartment would be so... awesome.

Everything was so elegant and spacious. The laminate flooring complemented the huge violet sofa situated in the middle of the room. Old paintings were hung on the walls, below them were several figurines of various monsters laid about on several different pieces of furniture, post-it notes littered about either next to or on them describing something. Despite the contrast between the old and the new, nothing from what I could see seemed at all out of place. "Wow! This place is huge!" I gawked.

"Not only that, check this out!" Leo shouted eagerly, loudly clapping his hands twice. The curtains at the other side of the room pulled back to reveal a patio outside along with what would've had to be the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. "Awesome, right?" Leo asked.

"I'll say!" I said.

"It does get lonely sometimes, even with the two of us..." Luna muttered.

"Wait, just the two of you? What about your parents?" I asked quietly.

Luna quietly looked down at the floor for some time. I probably shouldn't have asked. "They're... always out... Either at work or away on business trips. I think the last time we got to see them was at the beginning of last year. That's pretty much the only reason that Leo and I were able to fight the Dark Signers. If our parents found out what we've been up to..." Luna trailed off as Leo went into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry..." I muttered. "But hey, you kids have done something that very few will ever be able to say they've done: you saved the world! That's pretty awesome when you think about it!"

"I guess..." Luna mumbled as Leo came back, holding a tray with three tall glasses of lemonade on it.

"Would you like some lemonade?" Leo asked, holding the tray up to me.

"Yes, please." I smiled, taking my Duel Disk off for the first time in a long while as I took a glass off the tray. "Thank you very much, Leo."

"Here you go, Luna." Leo said, as Luna took a glass off the tray and had a small sip. "By the way, we need to have our Duel now! You promised, remember?"

"How could I forget...?" I muttered. Me taking off my Duel Disk was probably what reminded him.

"Hold on, Leo!" Luna protested. "We need to give Tyler a tour. Show him where the bathrooms and toilets and everything are!"

"Well... now that you mention it... Would you mind showing me where the toilet is?" I asked.

"Not at all. It's this way." Luna said, taking my wrist and pulling me along to where the toilet was. "The bathroom is next door."

"Okay. Thank you." I said as I went in, shut the door, pulled up the seat and did what needed to be done. After I was finished, I went into the bathroom and washed my hands.

This was one of the first times that I had actually had a good look at myself in a long while. What could I say? Well for starters, my hair was a mess, I had grown a fine mustache and a neck-beard. Not flattering at all. I was grateful that no one had made comment about my appearance, but I definitely needed to do something about it now that I had seen myself.

"Hey, Luna?" I called out, while inspecting myself in the mirror.

"Y-yeah?" I heard her answer back from the hallway.

"Would I be able to look around in here for a razor?" I asked.

"Um... I guess so..." Luna paused. "Take a look in the medicine cabinet."

I did as Luna suggested and opened up every door until I found the medicine cabinet. Straight away I could see three razors sitting in the right hand side. "There are three in here. Which one am I able to use?" I called out.

"To use? The expensive-looking one is our dad's. I don't think you should use that one. One of the others should be fine though."

"Thanks!" I said back, taking out one of the flimsy razors and putting it to my cheek. I stopped. It didn't feel like I was doing this the right way. I sighed, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out some shaving cream. I applied it to my face and then got rid of all the off-putting facial hair with ease.

Washing my face with water, I then cleaned the razor and put it back in the cabinet along with the shaving cream.

"You shaved your face?" Luna asked as I reappeared in the hallway.

"Yeah... I didn't think all the hair looked very good on me." I muttered, though I was a tiny bit confused... What did she think I was shaving...?

"Well I think you look very nice." Luna complimented.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Yeah, okay. He looks great! Can we Duel now? Can we?! Can we?! CAN WE?!" Leo asked, appearing next to his sister as he quickly jumped up and down on the spot. Did he really want to Duel me that bad?

"Yes. Yes. We can Duel now if you'd like." I chuckled.

"Awesome! Okay, let's go it outside!" Leo shouted. I grabbed my Duel Disk off the table as we made our way outside to where Leo and Luna's massive pool was. Luna went and sat down on a bench which was situated near the entrance back into the apartment. Past the pool and past the trees, the whole of New Domino City was at my feet. I found myself looking across at the tops of the buildings that I could just barely see as Leo and I stood across from each other.

"Alright. You ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah! I've been waiting for this for so long!" Leo cheered, activating his Duel Disk as I followed suit.

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Leo: 4000 LP]

"Since you're our guest, I'll let you start!" Leo grinned.

"Thanks Leo, that's very kind of you." I smiled, drawing my card. "I'll Set two cards face-down, and summon Gemini Elf in Attack Position!" the twin elves once again appeared at my side, mischievous smirks on their faces. [ATK: 1900] "I'll finish by activating Magical Blast, dealing you 200 damage."

"Waaah!" Leo cried as he was thrown back, causing Luna to sigh.

[Leo: 3800 LP]

"Leo, don't be so overdramatic!" Luna groaned.

"Haha, it's fine! I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve!" Leo cheered. "I draw! Ta-Da!"

Luna groaned once more at Leo's display.

"I summon Morphtronic Celfon in Attack Position!" Leo shouted, a weird transformer-looking thing appearing next to him. [ATK: 100] "Next I activate Celfon's ability! He dials a number from one to six, and I pick up the resulting number of cards from my deck and summon a Morphtronic monster from that group. Ready? Go!" Leo cheered.

The numbers on Celfon's dial-pad illuminated one at a time, until finally stopping on number three.

"Yahoo!" Leo cheered. "Now I can draw three cards... and I summon my Morphtronic Remoten from that set of cards!" A mutant stereo system remote materialized next to Leo. [DEF: 400] "I play two cards face-down! Your move!"

"Then I'll add Magical Blast to my hand, and summon Time Wizard." I said. The purple-cloaked red clock appeared on my field. [ATK: 500] "I'll now use Magical Blast I just got back to deal more damage."

Leo jumped back as he was hit by the purple blast.

[Leo: 3400 LP]

"Time Wizard, attack!" I shouted as my monster pointed its miniature clock staff at Leo's Morphtronic Celfon.

"Sorry, but since my Boomboxen is in Defense Position, I can negate an attack which targets a Morphtronic monster!" Leo shouted as Time Wizard's attack faded away to nothing.

"Fine. Then I'll attack Celfon with Gemini Elf and activate Magician's Circle, letting us each summon a Spellcaster monster from our decks."

"Not so fast! I play Mirror Force!" Leo shouted as a barrier rose up and protected Leo's monsters, and Gemini Elf was flung back into Time Wizard, destroying them.

"That's okay. I'm still able to bring out Dark Magician Girl as per the ability of Magician's Circle." I explained as the blonde magician appeared on my field and winking at Leo, causing him to blush profusely. [ATK: 2000]

"S-sorry... but I play Bottomless Trap Hole!" Leo shouted as a hole opened below Dark Magician Girl's feet and she fell in, before the hole closed over.

"Then I guess I end my turn..." I muttered

"I draw, and I activate Celfon's effect again! Yeah!" Leo shouted, pumping his fist into the air as Celfon's keys lit up before landing on a three once more. "I'll summon another Morphtronic Boomboxen!" [ATK: 1200]

"Crap..." I muttered.

"Next I play Morphtronic Magnen in Attack Position!" A giant magnet appeared on Leo's side of the field before it took on a more bipedal shape. [ATK: 800] "I'll then switch my first Boomboxen to Attack Position!"

I chuckled at realizing screwed I was. Joel would have my head soon enough.

"Go my monsters, attack!" Leo shouted as they all lunged at my near-empty field.

"I play Negate Attack!" I shouted as all of Leo's monsters ran through the vortex and ended back on his side of the field.

"Your turn then..." Leo muttered.

"Then for this turn, I'll draw..." I closed my eyes, willing myself that I would topdeck what I needed.

As it turned out, I did.

"I activate Lightning Vortex, discarding Chaos Command Magician to destroy your monsters!" I shouted as lightning rained down from the sky and blew all of Leo's machines to pieces.

"Damn it!" Leo shouted.

"Leo! Watch your language!" Luna ordered.

"Next, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Chaos Command Magician!" I shouted as the blue-skinned magician appeared in front of me. [ATK: 2400] "Attack!"

Although Leo braced himself, he was easily knocked to the ground by a single blow from my monster.

[Leo: 1000 LP]

"Your move, Leo." I motioned.

Leo got to his feet and drew, looking at his cards. I could by his facial expression alone that he didn't have any more moves to make. "One face-down... Your turn..." Leo murmured.

"I activate Heavy Storm!" I shouted as a cyclone brewed and blew Leo's face-down away.

"No!" Leo shouted.

"Go, Chaos Magician! Attack directly!" I shouted.

Leo was once again knocked to the ground, his life points completely obliterated by my last attack.

[Leo: 0 LP]

"Aww man!" Leo grumbled, stomping his feet on the ground a couple times. "If you hadn't of drawn Lightning Vortex, I would've won!"

"Don't be a sore loser, Leo! Tyler beat you fair and square!" Luna interjected.

"Nah, if I had've gotten a dead draw, you would've won for sure." I admitted. "Good game, Leo." I smiled, walking over to him and extending my hand for him to shake. After a moment of hesitance, Leo returned my gesture, a big grin on his face.

"Good game! But I'm totally gonna get you next time!"

* * *

_Your mom won't care that you've got amnesia. She'll just be happy to know you're okay._

Those were the words that flashed through my mind at some ungodly hour. I had been staring up at the ceiling, unable to get to sleep because of Leo's snoring. After the Duel, Leo ordered pizza for dinner and we sat down and watched a couple movies on their huge television set. Eventually though, feelings of exhaustion set in from the rough few days we'd all had, and we settled in for the night, with me on the floor of Leo's room.

_When you're done doing whatever you need to do... call home. Our parents miss you... I miss you..._

I glanced at my phone sitting on Leo's bedside table and sighed. I got up, grabbed my phone and walked out into the living room, taking a seat on the massive couch. I took a couple of minutes to go over everything in my head, but I still didn't know what I was going to say, or why I thought calling so early in the morning was a good idea. I just knew that this was something I had to do.

_Once the Dark Signers are taken care of, things can, and will go back to normal._

I scrolled through my contacts, found my mother's home number and called as I proceeded to press my phone gently against the side of my face.

The phone rang three times before I heard a click on the end of the line, along with some faint static. "Hello?" a woman answered. From the sound of her voice, I perceived her to be around forty years of age, possibly late fifties. She also sounded tired, of course that was to be expected.

My heart raced as I closed my eyes and willed myself to speak. "Hi... mom... It's me, Tyler..." As soon as I said this, I then felt the urge to slap myself in the face. Of course she knew it was me! It probably showed up on her phone that I was calling! I'm probably the only one who would've been calling at that time anyway!

"Oh... Hello...!" her tone seemed to be much sterner now. "You okay? Where are you now?" she asked.

"I'm fine, mom. I'm staying with friends at the moment." I explained. I couldn't let this lead to a similar incident to the one I had with Joel, so I decided to just come out and tell her all that happened. "Listen, there's something I need to-"

"Why have you not contacted me sooner? How come it's taken you so long to contact me?! I've been worried sick! You must've known that I would be worried about you!" she ranted.

"I-I know. I'm sorry. I've been meaning to call you for a while, but I-"

"Well that's really selfish of you not to have phoned me sooner! You've made me worry unnecessarily, because you're obviously fine!"

I realized I was losing control of the conversation very quickly, and that frightened me. I didn't know if she knew that I had amnesia or not, but it became apparent to me that she didn't know Joel and I had spoken to each other. "Well actually, mom, I'm not. See, I've-"

"Look! I don't really care what you've got to say for yourself now, I'm just really very angry! You're just a selfish child and I don't want to hear from you again!" my mom shouted.

Just like that, as quick as the phone call began, it ended. The line went dead, and for a moment, I felt nothing. I let my vision blur as my phone slipped out of my hand and onto the couch with a soft thud.

My mind became an uncontrollable storm of thoughts, various feelings attacking me all at once as so many questions arose in my head. Like 'why would my mom keep my phone plan going so I could call her, only for her to rage at me when I actually _did_ call her?' and 'what the Hell was I supposed to do now?'

I guess the thing that really hit home for me was that my mother didn't really give me a chance to explain myself. As strange as it sounded, I had really been clinging to the belief that once the Dark Signers were taken care of, my family would accept me back into their lives and everything could go back to normal, whatever that may have been.

I wanted to punch, yell or scream at something so badly, but I couldn't risk waking the twins. I found tears beginning to form in my eyes, but rather than try and hold them back, I decided to just sit as still as I could, stay as quiet as I could, and let my emotions out.

"Tyler..."

I looked over to my Duel Disk on the table and noticed one of the cards in my deck was glowing. I became bathed in a bright light as Explosivo appeared beside me.

"...Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you think?" I muttered. "My mom doesn't even want to speak to me."

"I know..."

"You said they would accept me..." I whispered, drying my tears. "How the Hell... is 'I don't want to hear from you again' any kind of acceptance?"

"Tyler-"

"Admit it: You had no fucking clue how they would react, did you?"

"I don't have control over everything..." Explosivo murmured.

"Really? You've had control over everything else, so why not this? Or is it that you just don't care? After all, the Dark Signers are defeated... the Spirit World is safe... Why do you care what happens to me...? No... You just led me on, letting me think whatever I wanted just so long as you got what you needed from me."

"That's not it at all. I just-"

"You wanna know something? I had been clinging to the thought, the hope, that once the Dark Signers were taken care of, I could return to the life I once had, the one you took from me... But you won't even let me have that, will you?"

I let out a sigh, getting up off the couch without another word, as I walked outside to where Leo and I'd had our Duel earlier on. I walked around the swimming pool, silently observing the stillness and clarity of the water, before turning to face the ledge where pot plants decorated the corners. I kept walking until I had reached the ledge, putting my left foot up on it as I observed the city below me. The highest point of New Domino City... A fall from here would certainly kill me... I stood completely up, bringing my right foot together with my left as I looked straight ahead at the skyline.

One. More. Step... And it would all be over...

"Tyler! Don't!" I heard Explosivo shout from behind me, his words sounding more like a threat than anything else. I didn't bother looking back at him.

"Is that all you have to say?" I muttered. "What about 'Tyler, forgive me for lying to you about your family wanting you back' hmm? You promised me that everything would be okay... You said my family would accept me back with open arms... You were full of shit..." I paused. "How could you even make a promise like that? You knew how I felt, and you still decided to lie... Because you needed me..."

"Everyone needed you-"

"Shut up!" I yelled, beginning to cry once more. "This is all your fault! How you can even call yourself my guardian is just insulting to me! You've done nothing for me except cause me more pain and suffering! Well, guess what? Now it ends! I'm done, okay? You can't use me anymore!"

I had only just noticed now that my breathing became more erratic, my heart feeling as though it had leaped into my throat. I once again looked down at the city. I'd probably have about twenty seconds, if that, before I hit the ground. I smiled. Exhaling sharply, I breathed in as much air as I could through my nose, slowly bringing my arms out to my side. There was no going back for me now. This had to be done... This _had_ to be done...

Three...

Two...

One-

"Tyler! Please! Stop!"

"Luna..." I gasped, pulling myself back to a standing position, though keeping my arms outstretched.

"You can't do it, Tyler! Please get down from there!" she cried, her voice wavering.

I turned back to see Luna behind me, crying, with Explosivo standing beside her, showing no emotion. "I called my mom, Luna... She doesn't want me... _He_ said she wouldn't care... _They_ said she wouldn't care... But she does... It's hopeless..."

"It's not hopeless! It doesn't matter if she cares or not because she's just one person! I... You're like family to me! We all want you here, Tyler! All of us! So please..." Luna begged.

"I'm sorry, but I can't live like this..." I muttered, turning back to face the skyline of New Domino City once more. I heard the rush of footsteps as I brought my arms down. Once I felt a hand clamp onto my arm, I stopped. I looked behind again and saw that Luna was holding onto me as tight as she could.

"You can't go, Tyler! I won't let you!"

"Let go, Luna..." I urged her, trying to shake her away from me, afraid that if I were to use too much force, I'd hurt her. Or even worse, I might accidentally pull her down with me.

"No!" Luna shouted. It was probably the loudest I had ever heard her voice go. She paused. "Do you realize how important you are to me? To everyone? You rescued me from the Spirit World, from the Arcadia Movement. You convinced my brother to come with us to Satellite, you helped me save the Ancient Fairy Dragon by defeating Devack... Do you know how frightened I was? When I saw Leo, I knew I had to fight for him... But I was scared. I thought that I was going to die, that I was going to let Ancient Fairy Dragon, Yusei and everyone else down. But do you remember what you said to me? You said that you wouldn't let me do this alone! Well, I won't let you go through this alone! Whatever you're feeling, you can talk to me about. I can help you... I _want_ to help you... Please don't kill yourself! You're more than a friend to me, Tyler! You're..." her voice trailed off, overcome with emotion as tears ran down her face. "You're my hero..."

Everything that Luna had said seemed to breeze past me so quickly, that I didn't really have any time to think about what I could say in response to Luna's words. I studied Luna's tear-filled eyes and as my body twitched, I think I finally understood. Luna was, in the early hours of the day, bawling her eyes out, because of me. I couldn't do it. It wasn't just about me and how I felt. In that moment, I knew that I would never be able to return to the life I had, but that didn't mean that I had to screw this one up, not only for myself, but for the people around me. I stepped down off the ledge, Luna still not letting go of my arm, and I pulled her close to me. "Please forgive me..." I whispered.

Luna let go of my arm and then wrapped hers around my back just as tight, burying her face in my chest. I could feel the tears from her eyes dampening the front of my clothes, her breathing heavy and erratic. The two of us stayed quiet, the entire situation feeling more and more like a dream as time went on. There was a large part of me that wished it was all just a dream, that I had never called my mom, and that it would turn out that I was fast asleep in Leo's room. I knew though, that this was not a dream. I was wide awake. This was real.

There was no attempt whatsoever by Luna to pull away from me, though I could feel her grip slacking a little, and her breathing had regulated. Luna looked up to me. "I... Of course I forgive you... But... I still..." she trailed off. As she spoke, it seemed as if she was struggling to stay awake, and the bags under her eyes proved this. I couldn't blame her, we'd all been through a lot these past few days. But what had happened now, how she was feeling... was because of me...

"Come on... Let's get you to bed." I cooed. Luna was still noticeably shaken up from all that had happened, and I could tell that there were plenty of things going through her mind, as were mine. She gave me a small nod, but otherwise didn't move. I didn't have a problem with her falling asleep in my arms, but I was beginning to feel the cold, and I knew she probably was too, so I took it upon myself to gently take her into my arms and carry her back inside.

I instantly felt warmer as I walked back into the apartment. I caught sight of my phone, and decided to set Luna down on the couch before picking it up. I sighed, turning to Explosivo, who had since joined Luna and I back inside her apartment. He stared at me with those infuriating yellow eyes of his, and I looked away. Nothing needed to be said. He knew how I felt about him. I put my phone down and turned back to Luna, who was now staring up at me in a daze. "Luna, I'm so sorry about all this..." I murmured. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt you... It's just, there's more to why than what I'd like to talk about..."

"We can talk about it in the morning..." Luna mumbled. I looked away. Honestly, this wasn't something I'd want to bring up again. As if sensing my uneasiness, Luna added: "I'm ready to listen... I want to help you get through this..."

I forced a smile, because even though I wanted to smile, I couldn't for some reason. "Thank you, Luna. That means a lot." I looked in the direction of Leo's bedroom and I felt one of Luna's hands wrap around mine.

"You'll wake Leo up if you go back into his room." she whispered. "Please, stay... I want you here with me..."

This time, smiling came much easier to me. "I'm not going anywhere..." Taking two of the rugs off the cushions, I pulled one up over Luna to try keep her warm. I then wrapped the other rug around me, and laid down at the other end of the couch, our faces next to each other and our bodies at separate ends. '"Good night, Luna..."

Luna breathed out shakily as I noticed tears form in her eyes once more, before running down the side of her face. "Please, don't ever leave me... Because I need you..."

"Luna... I promise you... I won't..." Neither of us said anything else, and eventually I drifted off to sleep, pointlessly hoping that this moment and everything that preceded it would fade into nothing.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of my phone vibrating against the coffee table, which to me sounded more like somebody tooting the horn of a truck that was coming right at me. By the looks of things, it was late morning, and by the smell of things, breakfast was being cooked. I glanced over to see Luna still next to me, a serene look on her face. I smiled, slowly getting up off the couch to check my phone.

_Crow here. Using Jack's phone. I'm still a little burned out from battling Goodwin, so I won't be coming around to pick you up today. See if you're able to stay a little longer with the twins. I'll send you another message when I think I'm up for it. Cheers._

I put my phone back down on the table as I felt some shuffling on the couch. I looked over as Luna groaned, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes. As her eyes focused on mine, I noticed her breathing elevate just a tad as she gave me a warm smile. "Good morning, Luna." I murmured, my voice dry and scratchy.

"Good morning, Tyler."

I didn't want to start the day by talking about what happened in the early hours right away. I knew I'd have to talk about it eventually with Luna like she suggested we do, but now was definitely not the time. I sighed. "Um... Crow sent me a message saying that he was still a little tired from the whole Turbo Duel with Goodwin, so he won't be coming by to pick me up today. Is it alright with you if I stay here for a little bit longer?"

"Of course you can." Luna assured me, reaching out and cupping one of my hands in hers. "You can stay here for as long as you want."

"Thanks Luna." I smiled, trying not to be taken aback by Luna's generosity. As nice an offer as that was, realistically I knew I couldn't stay forever.

God, her hands were smooth.

"'Bout time you two lovebirds got up! You guys gonna kiss each other all day or are you gonna come eat?" Leo's voice asked. The two of us looked to the direction of the kitchen and saw Leo standing in his pajamas, wearing an over-sized white apron.

"Wh-what?! L-Lovebirds?!" Luna blushed, quickly letting go of my hand.

"Yeah! I got up a little earlier to get a drink of water and you two were sleeping together on the couch like a boyfriend and girlfriend on all those TV shows!"

Luna looked towards me, before turning back to Leo. "I just had a nightmare and needed Tyler to keep me company."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "But why the couch? Your room is closer..."

"W-well... after I had my nightmare, I came out to make myself some warm milk and calm my nerves and... Tyler heard me get up so he came out too. We spent a little while talking, but I guess we both just fell asleep on the couch..."

"Oh... Well okay then." Leo smiled. "But what's this about Tyler staying? Isn't Crow gonna pick you up from here in a little bit?"

"No. Crow sent Tyler a message saying that he's still a bit tired, so he won't be coming by today."

"That's too bad. But you get to spend more time with us! So that's pretty awesome, right? We can have another Duel later! Wait, wait, wait! I could have Dexter over, and then the four of us could have a Tag Duel!" he shouted excitedly before sniffing the air. "Ah! The food!" Leo ran back into the kitchen to rescue whatever it was that he was cooking.

"You're not gonna tell him?" I asked softly.

Luna shook her head. "Leo would completely flip out if I told him." I exhaled, averting my eyes from Luna's. "Would we be able to talk a little more about what happened after breakfast?" she asked. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I want to know what I can do to support you."

I knew of course that it wouldn't be beneficial for me or anyone else if I were to just pretend the entire incident never happened. Though at the same time, I didn't really want anyone else to know. Luna was the only one who did know, and if I was able to sort this out with her help, then no one else would need to know. "I'd like that..." I said, forcing a smile.

"Breakfast is ready!" Leo shouted. Luna smiled, once again cupping one of her hands in mine.

"C'mon..." she urged me softly. I gently squeezed her hand as the two of us walked into the kitchen. Leo was piling pancakes onto three separate plates.

"These are a little bit overdone, but they should be okay." Leo stated, though by looking at Luna's expression, I could tell she thought otherwise. "Anyway, here you go!" Leo smiled, passing us our plates and utensils.

The three of us then sat down in the dining room, eating pretty much in silence, except for Leo's loud chewing. Luna kept on directing her attention to me every time I used my knife to cut up some of the pancakes on my plate. In the midst of all the silence, Luna cleared her throat.

"Uhhh... so Leo, how about instead of inviting Dexter over here after breakfast, you go over to his place and hang out for a little bit?"

"Huh? But I wanted to Tag Duel...! And wouldn't..." Leo trailed off as a smile swept across his face. "Oh, I see. You wanna have some alone time with Tyler, don't you?"

"Leo! That's not... Th-that's enough, alright?!" Luna protested.

Leo chuckled. "Okay, okay! That cool with you then Tyler? If we hold off on the Tag Duel?"

I looked up from my plate. "Yeah... sure..."

"Awesome! But remember, we gotta do it eventually!" he grinned, before getting back to his meal.

I helped Leo clear the table once we had all finished, then Leo had a quick shower. The next time I saw Luna, I noticed that she had changed into her regular day clothes as she came out and sat beside me on the couch that I had sat back down on. Explosivo was yet to make another appearance, and I was seriously contemplating tearing the card up.

"Alright, you guys! I'm off!" Leo shouted, grabbing his Duel Disk and sprinting out the door.

Luna and I were alone now, and I could no longer pretend that I hadn't tried to kill myself only a short time ago. I sighed.

"Wait... why don't we talk in my room?" Luna suggested. "C'mon..." she got up, apparently not giving me a chance to answer, and walked into her room. For some reason, I reached over and grabbed my deck that was on the table, before getting up off the couch and following Luna into her room as she shut the door behind us.


	19. Friend-Mandated Therapy

My immediate reaction upon entering Luna's room was surprise at finding how different it was to Leo's. For one thing, it wasn't a giant mess like Leo's room was. In Luna's room, every item seemed to have its own proper place and everything was organized in an incredibly neat way. The contrast between the twins' rooms was striking.

"You've got a lot of Taylor Swift CD's here." I noted, my eyes focusing on Luna's CD stand, which had collected a large amount of dust, presumably in her absence. "She any good?"

"I think so..." Luna replied. The two of us went silent, not really sure how to start up a conversation about the events of the previous night. Luna frowned slightly, obviously trying to think up a way to talk about what happened, while I just thumbed through my cards. Luna sighed, looking at me with a pained expression. "Why don't you... um... sit on my bed..." she suggested.

"Okay." I nodded, walking over and sitting down on Luna's nicely made bed as she kept her eyes locked on mine as I put my deck on her bedside table. Luna pulled along a small purple-painted stool made of wood and sat so that if she reached forward, we'd be at arm's length.

"How long have you... been feeling like this?" Luna asked suddenly.

It was a simple question, but one that made my stomach churn. There was no use in lying. If I did lie, I'd be no better than Explosivo. The best thing to do, for me _and_ for Luna, would be to tell the truth. "Do you remember the first time we went to Goodwin's mansion? How I tried to convince Leo to accompany us to the Satellite?"

Luna's eyes widened. "Th-then...?"

"After talking with you guys, I went back to my room to get my stuff. Next thing I knew, I was in some forest in the Spirit World. That was the first time I ever met Explosivo. He said that, on my father's deathbed he had been entrusted with the task of keeping me safe. He said that he was my guardian, that he would protect me. He also said that he couldn't interfere with the Will of the Crimson Dragon, and it was because of that that I was kidnapped and brainwashed by Sayer."

"Tyler..." Luna muttered,

"That was the first time I had those thoughts, like my life was nothing more than a sick joke, but he told me that my family would take me back... And I believed him... so I didn't do it... I didn't feel it for a long time because I clung to the belief that no matter what happened in the end, I'd be able to go back... Explosivo gave me that belief, and when I found out that he literally had no idea how my mother would react, I felt betrayed, I felt used... I felt..." I stopped, my heart beating a little bit faster. "He could have just told me the truth to begin with! But he didn't! He lied to me, just so I would help him! I didn't want to continue anymore. I didn't want to be used, and I thought that the only way for me to escape it would be to..." I trailed off.

"Why didn't you tell anybody? Why didn't you tell me?" Luna asked.

"We all had our own issues to deal with. Yusei was reflecting on Kalin becoming a Dark Signer, Akiza had just found out about everything that went on at the Arcadia Movement, Leo was having second thoughts about coming with us, and Jack was... Well I have no idea what Jack was doing. You were the only one who was cheerful and... happy and... I didn't want to ruin that for you..."

"And afterwards?"

"...I thought I could stay here for a day, call my mom and let her know about everything, head to the Satellite with Crow, get my things and then head back into the city and move back into my old house... and everything could go back to normal. I know it was stupid... to have everything mapped out in my head, to have me counting on the words of some manipulative, deceitful Duel Spirit hoping, praying that nothing would falter... some silly little fantasy..." I then looked over to my deck. "And I know that he can hear me, but he's too much of a coward to show himself..."

"I'm sure that he had the best of intentions..." Luna assured me, I of course nearly choking upon hearing her response.

"Sure, yeah... Best intentions... letting someone get brainwashed. I don't know about you, Luna, but if I was a Duel Spirit who was assigned by some dude's now deceased father to watch over and protect him, I'd do everything I could, including going against whatever fate or destiny there apparently was, to _protect_ him, no matter what..."

"Even if doing so would change everything...?" Luna asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly. Luna groaned, before cupping both of her hands in mine.

"Tyler, you saved my life! You rescued me from... from Zeman, from Sayer, from Devack! If it weren't for you, I would still be trapped in the Sprit World! Ancient Fairy Dragon, Regulus and Torunka would all have been captured, and the King of the Underworld would probably be here right now destroying this planet. Look... I'm not saying that it was right that you had to give up your memories, or that you had to go through what you did, but someone... someone had to save me from the Spirit World, and I'm glad it was you..."

"...Me too..." I smiled. Truth is, I had no idea what I would be doing right now if I hadn't got caught up in the fight against the Dark Signers, and if everything else had gone the same way, then I could be in a lot worse situations, dead or alive, than the one that I was in now. I guess, if there was a silver lining or something good to have come out from all the bad, it was that I had helped Luna and everybody else defeat the Dark Signers, I kept the promises I had made, and most importantly, I had a sense of purpose.

"I'm sorry you've been feeling so awful. I want you to know that I'm so glad you're still here. We _all_ are."

"We?"

"Me, Leo, Yusei... but not only us... listen..." Luna urged, the two of us hearing a multitude of other voices speaking to us. I could understand them, but I couldn't distinguish them. "You hear that?" Luna asked. "The Duel Spirits care about you..."

I smiled, taking in the voices belonging to the Spirits of my cards. The long and the short of what I heard, what we _both_ heard, was that they were all concerned for my safety, and glad that I had someone as supportive as Luna to help me when I needed her. They also congratulated me for helping Yusei defeat the Dark Signers, which was nice. The only voice that I couldn't hear was Explosivo's.

As the voices faded, I slowly turned to Luna. "I don't want you to feel like any of this is your fault. It's not. You have been, and you still are, one of the most caring, thoughtful and considerate people I have ever met. I did what I did because-"

"I know..." Luna muttered. "I was asked by the Ancient Fairy Dragon to help protect the Spirit World and I promised that I would, but it was a long time ago that I promised her this, and it took me a while to remember that promise. Once I remembered though, I did everything I could to help her, because she kept me safe when I went to the Spirit World the first time. I don't think that you should judge Explosivo too harshly for what's happened. After all, he has stuck by you. Even in way which you might think is twisted or obscure, the fact that Explosivo stood by you, in spite of your amnesia. I think that's great of him to do that."

"I just don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he's done." I stated. "Luna, I know what you mean but... he lied to me. And... I could forgive that... if it were anyone else, but he knew about Roman, about Joel. So it stands to reason that he would've known exactly how my mom would've reacted upon me speaking to her."

"Maybe he just didn't know how to tell you. I wouldn't know how to tell you if I knew your parents didn't want to talk to you."

"That's true, but you certainly wouldn't lie either..."

"Of course I wouldn't!" Luna insisted. "But if you believe in something, it's the truth to you. Maybe... Explosivo needed to believe that..."

"Well that's his choice... He didn't have to drag me into it..." I groaned, bringing my hands to my face. "I know... I'm being negative. I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Luna assured me, reaching up and cupping her hands around mine. "This may take some time, but we're all here to help you. A-and maybe later on... you'll see things in a different light."

"Right now, if I tried to picture where I'd be in a few months, I honestly couldn't tell you. But I know that, in this moment right now, even though I'm afraid of what tomorrow might bring, I need to face it... And I know I'm not alone in what I face..." I smiled, getting up off the bed.

"Tyler..."

I couldn't say it out loud, but I knew that if I didn't rid myself of some hindrances, I would probably attempt suicide again at a later point. At least for the moment, I could manage and eliminate things that could be harmful to me mentally, and by association, those around me.

I walked over to Luna's bedroom door and opened it halfway, walking out into the living room. Luna followed me quickly, obviously assuming the worst. I picked up my phone, my heart skipping a beat as I discovered I had a new message from someone waiting for me.

_Crow again. I'll be right to come by tomorrow morning and pick you up. Does 10:30ish sound good for you?_

I smiled, typing in a response and looking at it.

_That's fine with me. Don't overdo it 'till then, ok?_

I decided that before I would send the message, I'd speak with Luna. "Hey, Luna? Crow sent me another message. He reckons he'll be right to come by tomorrow and pick me up. Is that alright with you?" I asked, looking to her.

Luna smiled. "Leo might not like it, but it's fine with me."

I gave Luna a smile back as I sent Crow the message. Then, I brought myself back to the task at hand. I scrolled through my contacts, deleting my mom, Joel and their contact information from my phone. I didn't need them anymore. I couldn't afford to need them anymore.

I looked at my phone, a smile appearing on my face. Since I didn't have their numbers memorized, I wouldn't know if they ever called again, and I would never answer a call or text that I didn't recognize. I was about to put my phone away when Luna stopped me.

"Wait... Can I give you my number?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, o'course." I handed my phone to Luna as she typed away and added herself to my phone, giving it back to me a few moments later.

"If you ever want to talk to me about anything that's bothering you and I'm not around, just call... Please..." Luna urged. I nodded, and she smiled at me with that same perky cheerful expression she'd had only a few days ago.

* * *

I stood with Luna and Leo out the front of their apartment building in The Tops the next morning. Leo was pretty bummed to find out that I was leaving soon, but I promised to Duel him again sometime and he perked right up. The sun reflected off Crow's Duel Runner, temporarily blinding the twins as Crow made his way up the unreasonably steep path to where we were standing. He pulled to a stop, taking off his helmet. "Hey, guys." Crow greeted, turning to me. "So you ready to go?"

I nodded, turning to the twins. "Thanks for having me over. I really appreciate it." I smiled, giving Luna an apologetic glance, which she returned with a warm, forgiving one.

"Thanks for staying..." Luna said.

"Yeah, but remember, we gotta Duel again sometime! And I'm totally gonna win!" Leo piped up.

Crow chuckled, tossing me a spare helmet, which I was barely able to catch. I slowly put it on, before walking over to Crow's Duel Runner. He shifted as far forward as he could to give me room to get on, before the two of us leaned back slightly. Crow revved his Duel Runner once. "All set?" he asked as the twins stepped back.

"Not yet..." I muttered. There was still one thing I had to take care of. "Luna... I wanna give you something..." I murmured, Luna walking to me as I went through my deck, found Explosivo, and handed him to her.

Luna looked back at me with an immensely shocked expression. "Tyler...! This is-"

"I know... I think you should have him. You clearly understand him on a much deeper level than I do. And I can't be near him... I don't want to be near him... I'm not saying that you need to add him to your deck, and I know it sounds like after all of this that I'm just giving you my problems, but the truth is... I'm still afraid... of him, and what I might do if I'm near him. This is the last step for me, the one last hindrance I need to rid myself of. Please... will you take him?" I asked.

Luna attempted to focus her eyes on mine, though with the helmet obscuring her view of my eyes, she didn't have much luck. She didn't need to look into my eyes though to tell that I was serious. "Of course I will." she nodded, taking Explosivo from me. Luna then stepped back to meet with Leo as Crow piped up again.

"That it?" he asked.

"Yeah... I'm ready now..." I muttered, putting my hands above Crow's waist. He revved his Duel Runner once more and the two of us took off.

I didn't want to be controlled. I had let _him_ control me up until the point of my death. And I knew now that... Instead of trying to controlling my death, I should just try and control my life. With Explosivo gone, I knew that all that had once held me back, I was now free of. I was the master of my own destiny, just as Yusei had been, and I wouldn't need to take any more drastic measures to prove that...


	20. Decisions

Crow was taking me back to the old Satellite district that I used to live in back when I was a part of Team Satisfaction with him, Yusei, Jack and Kalin. We had been talking, or yelling rather, about the Dark Signers and everything that had happened. Somehow, we got onto the subject of someone called 'The Legendary Man', and then, we got onto the subject of Crow's kids. "I tell ya, Annie and Itsuki are gonna be so happy to see you again!" Crow cheered, though I could hardly hear him with the wind in my face.

"Right..." I murmured, gripping Crow's waist tightly. There were so many questions I still had about my past, but knowing me, I'd end up piling them on. So instead, I just asked what was most prevalently on my mind. "Um... how will they react when they find out that I don't remember them...?"

Crow stayed silent for a while. "I think... they'll be happy just knowing you're safe. See, before their souls were taken away by the Dark Signers, Annie and Itsuki would do nothing but wait at our nest for you to return after you got kidnapped. Sometimes they would go days without sleep, because they wanted to be awake for when you returned."

"How old are these kids?" I asked.

"Annie is nine. Itsuki is ten."

"Wow..." I muttered. "So these kids stayed up night after night for me?"

Crow nodded. "You're like an older brother to them, Tyler. They'll be over the moon when they see you. If nothing else, act like you're happy to see them. I'll break the news while you're out breaking in your Runner."

That was one of the other reasons why Crow wanted us to come back to the Satellite. Crow promised me that once the Dark Signers were defeated, he'd help me fix up my Duel Runner.

"Thanks..." I muttered.

"Before any o' that though, we gotta get you out of those clothes!" Crow insisted, referring to the Arcadia Movement Uniform that I still wore. I didn't have any other clothes to wear except for that, but Crow said that all my stuff should be with him, so I was curious to know what kind of clothes I had. Whatever I had, I knew it would be better than what I had on.

It wasn't long before Crow and I emerged out one of the pipelines that ran through the Satellite and New Domino. As far as I knew, Yusei'd had no luck getting approval for the Daedalus Bridge to be completed, which was a shame. Luckily, Crow knew of a way to get to Satellite through the pipeline, which was apparently the same way I got into Satellite after leaving New Domino.

I quietly observed the, for lack of a better word, neighborhood that we were now in. It was drastically different from both New Domino and Martha's Orphanage.

Crow skidded to a stop on his Duel Runner, causing me to jolt slightly. "Everything alright?" I asked, finding it pretty weird that Crow would stop near an alleyway.

"Your Duel Runner," he began. "I hid it behind these things..." Crow pointed to a cordoned-off area, blocked by old milk creates and slabs of wood, which were all semi-covered by a tarp. "But, see... since I hid it so well, it'll be pretty hard getting it out..."

Crow disengaged his Duel Runner, both of us getting off of it. Crow went over and pulled off the tarp and pushed away the milk crates and the wood. "See? Here it is!" Crow said proudly.

I cocked my head to one side. It looked like a cross between Yusei's Duel Runner and a bi-plane. The finish was a metallic green with red stripes running across the frame. Two thrusters were positioned at the back, along with the wings, and a small control panel at the front along with a slot for my Duel Disk was opened out. One thing I noticed which I hadn't seen on anybody else's Duel Runner was a docking station for my phone, which I assumed was for listening to music.

"This is it, exactly how you left it!" Crow smiled. "Now, it's a bit dusty, so we'll gloss the Duel Runner and run the frame down with water. Also, you'll probably need to take it for a ride to get the engine back in condition." Crow noticed that I was hesitantly looking at my Duel Runner. "C'mon, Tyler. It's yours! Get on! See how it feels!" he urged.

I walked over and after one failed attempt, I had gotten on my Duel Runner. As I sat down on the seat, dust flew up, causing Crow and I to cough. I moved around in the seat, trying to get into a comfortable seating position.

"Yeah... It'll probably take some getting used to, but you'll be right." Crow assured me.

I revved the Duel Runner a couple times. My Duel Runner wasn't like the one I had used at the Arcadia Movement. Those were much quieter, and now seemed more like toys in comparison to my Duel Runner. This would definitely take some getting used to. "I hope so... Thanks for keeping it for me." I smiled.

"No problem. What are friends for, right?" Crow waved me off. "Now come on, we should go see Annie and Itsuki."

Crow got back on his Duel Runner before tossing me the spare helmet I had worn. I fumbled but managed to catch it. We both revved our Runners, but I took off at a relatively slow speed, trying to get accustomed to riding again.

Crow happily stayed at the same pace as me, but just a little in front so that he could direct me. "It's this way." he said, turning off around a bend. I cautiously followed suit and saw that Crow had parked his Runner outside a run-down building.

I parked my Duel Runner beside his and disengaged it. "Is this the place?" I asked.

"Yep!" Crow nodded. "Now remember, smiles!"

I chuckled as I followed him inside. Two kids were sitting on the floor of the room, cards everywhere, presumably having a Duel. The young boy had scruffy brown hair and wore a dark brown shirt with slightly ripped shorts. The girl had long, flowing red hair and wore what looked like a pink gown.

"...and now I'll get my Naturia Leodrake to attack your life points directly..." the girl said. "So I win."

"No fair!" the boy protested. "That's the fifth time in a row!"

I turned to Crow. "Is this them?" I whispered.

"Yeah..." he replied, before increasing the volume of his voice. "Hey, kids! Guess who's back?" Crow cheered.

"Hi Crow..." the kids muttered, not even taking their eyes off their cards.

"Aren't you excited to see me?" he asked.

"Yeah, hi Crow." the kids said, once again not looking up from their cards.

Crow sighed, turning to me. "These kids... sometimes I just don't know what to do with them." Crow then spoke louder once more. "I've, uh, got someone with me... Someone who you'll both want to meet."

"Hm?" both the kids turned to Crow, before their eyes shifted to meet with mine. "Tyler!" they shouted, running up to me and nearly knocking me over with a hug. Next thing I knew, both of them were bawling their eyes out. "We missed you so much!"

I glanced over and gave Crow a somewhat confused glance, since I really wasn't expecting the reaction I got. I don't think Crow was either. Neither of us was giving any noticeable reaction, so I knew I had to do something. Say something. After all, these kids deserved that much at least.

"Hey... kids-" I stumbled.

"Hey kids, why don't ya give Tyler some space. He's had a rough time where he's been, so I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Right, Tyler?" Crow said sternly.

"Um... yeah... I, I guess..." I muttered.

"Why don't you go take your Runner for a test drive? I'll tell the kids what's been going on, okay?" Crow suggested.

"What? But you just got back!" Itsuki shouted. I had to agree. I mean, if Crow was gonna just suggest this as soon as I got in, why couldn't he have just made me wait outside until this was all sorted?

"Crow, I-"

"Go on, Tyler. Your Runner's outside." Crow motioned to the door.

I sighed as Annie and Itsuki pulled away from me, as I gave a quick wave to the kids and walking out to my Duel Runner. I got onto it and backed away from Crow's parked Runner incredibly slowly, making sure I didn't go veering off anywhere or lose control.

I spent a good portion of the day getting myself reacquainted with Satellite and its people. It was amazing how different the Satellite was to New Domino. Goodwin wasn't kidding when he said there was a class difference! At the same time though, I understood where Yusei was coming from too. People did have a right to be free, and the Daedalus Bridge could end the class difference so there wouldn't be one. After all, there was only a class difference because the bridge hadn't been completed, and both New Domino City and Satellite were isolated from each other as I had found.

While I was out, I also had ample time to practice riding my Duel Runner along the Old Highway. It took me awhile to get back into the swing of things, but by my third time 'round, I was able to bring my Runner's speed up to just below ninety miles an hour and confidently move around as I could feel the cool air blow against the uncovered parts of my body. It was truly invigorating, though I knew now that I needed to get a helmet that I could wear earphones under. To me, silence was pretty boring.

I had no idea what Annie and Itsuki would be like when I returned, but I had faith that Crow would be able to explain it all in a way that they could understand and they wouldn't be too angry. I knew that it wasn't really my fault that I lost my memories, but the kids obviously looked up to me and I'd feel pretty hurt if one of the people I looked up to vanished without a trace, came back and had no recollection of anything.

I pulled up my Duel Runner up alongside Crow's, which was still in the same position that he had left it in when we arrived. I engaged the kill switch and got off my Runner, heightening the stand so it wouldn't topple over.

Sighing, I hesitantly walked into the building, unsure of how the children would react to my presence.

I stopped at the doorway to see Crow and Annie Dueling on the floor, and Itsuki looking something up on the computer. My footsteps were obviously louder than I thought, because as soon as I stopped, Crow, Annie and Itsuki all turned to face me.

"Hey guys..." I muttered. I wasn't able to read the kids' facial expressions very well, but Crow gave me a very wide smile, which assured me that everything was fine.

Annie and Itsuki were silent for a while and just stared at me with somewhat dazed expressions.

"Hey kids," Crow piped up, causing Annie and Itsuki to twitch, now seemingly more awake. "Would you like to tell Tyler something?" Crow asked.

Both the kids walked over to me, and I knelt down so that I was face to face with them. As soon as I did, Annie leaned in and gave me a light peck on the cheek. "Hello, Tyler! My name is Annie Hart, and this is Itsuki!" Annie giggled.

"We know that a lot of things have happened in the past, but that's the past!" Itsuki insisted. "Crow told us you came to the Satellite with him just to visit us!"

"What happened to you was just terrible!" Annie piped up.

"We're glad you're safe!" Itsuki added.

I was still a little stunned from Annie's kiss to really take in what the two kids were saying. "...Th-thank... thank you... I, um..."

I turned to Crow as I heard him chuckle. "You okay, Tyler? You're blushing..." he noted.

My eyes widened as I shook my head and Annie giggled. I gulped. "I'm fine. I'm just... glad I'm safe too..."

"So, Tyler! Are you coming with us to Martha's place?" Itsuki asked a little bit too quickly.

"Excuse me?"

"Martha's okay now. So is everyone else." Crow added.

"Yeah, and once the Daedalus Bridge is built, we're all moving to Martha's orphanage!" Annie explained.

"Okay then..." I said, wondering what exactly was going on and why in fact I had to come back here if everybody was moving away.

"W-well we're not too sure about the Daedalus Bridge at the moment. Yusei's tryin' his hardest to get it all going, so we're hopin' for the best. Anyway... you wanna check out what clothes you've got left that still fit you?"

"Yeah, okay." I muttered. Crow smiled, packing his cards away and getting up off the floor.

"We kept everything exactly how you left it just in case!" Itsuki grinned.

Crow walked over to a mahogany closet as I followed behind him. Once he felt my presence, he opened up the closet. I had expected an explosion of dust to rush out and attack us, but everything was clean, and neatly organized.

"I... did do a bit of cleaning every now and then..." Annie mumbled.

"Well thank you." I smiled, turning to her, before looking back and going through my clothes. From what I saw, almost nothing matched. I actually cringed at the clothes I had in my possession. Weirdly bright and colorful jackets, bizarrely-faded flannelette shirts, all of which I could tell wouldn't fit me. And even if they did, I wouldn't want to wear them. "Hey, have we got anything that's not so... vibrant?" I asked.

Crow chuckled. "I think your old Team Satisfaction uniform is still in here somewhere..." he trailed off. A stonewashed denim jacket caught my eye, so I pulled it out to take a better look. Crow smiled. "Or you could wear that."

"Is there anything else that could go with this?" I asked.

Crow looked to the closet, fingering through the rest of the clothes before pulling out a white shirt and a pair of jeans with a belt before handing them to me. "Maybe these? I'm not sure. Fashion's not really my thing."

"That's fine. I don't think I'd be able to pick something out on my own. Whatever you think is good, I'll wear."

"Alright then. How about we give you some privacy?" Crow suggested. "C'mon, kids." He motioned, Annie and Itsuki quickly following him out of the room, Itsuki shutting the door on his way out.

Immediately, I took off the ridiculous clothing that I had been wearing for what was really far too long, and threw it all onto the ground. I sighed. Even just looking at the discarded clothing reminded me of Sayer. Strangely though, it wasn't in a way that made me angry, as pretty much straight away, I recalled his death at the hands of Misty's Earthbound Immortal. I smiled once more.

I decided that I would keep the boots, not only because they were the only footwear I seemed to have, but also because they still held up surprisingly well. I put my new clothes on rather quickly, finishing with the boots as I sat down on the bed. I got up and stretched, looking over at the closet. If everything in there was mine, and I didn't want any of it, and everyone was moving away soon, then there'd be no sense in keeping it.

I walked over and began chucking all of the distasteful stuff I had into my Arcadia clothes, and I soon had a pile of clothes on the floor, but something else was there as well. Something had seemed to have fallen out of one of the pants pockets.

A wallet.

I walked over to it and picked it up, running my thumb along the material. I could tell that it was mine because 'Nochi' was stitched into it. I opened it up, a banknote peeking out at me, along with a piece of paper with some writing on it. It was probably sentimental crap that the old me probably loved, and since that would be the case, I tore it up without a second thought, keeping the money. Aside from that, the wallet was virtually empty, so I tossed that onto the pile as well, before going out to meet with Crow and the kids.

I smiled, watching Annie and Itsuki working together with Crow in an effort to clean up my Duel Runner. Honestly, if I didn't know that it was mine, or that it looked a little out of shape before, I'd think it was brand new. "You look nice." Crow complemented, watching my approach.

"Thank you. And... thanks for doing this as well." I said, glancing at my Duel Runner as the three of them walked over to me.

"It was no problem! Right, kids?" Crow asked, Annie and Itsuki nodding their heads in agreement.

"Hey! Why don't you guys have a Turbo Duel?" Itsuki suggested.

"That's a great idea, Itsuki! How 'bout it, Tyler?" Crow asked, turning to me, though I averted his gaze.

"I don't really... remember how..." I muttered.

"That's okay! I'll walk you through it as we go! There's no better way to learn than by doing it!" Crow said.

"Nah, I think I'm done with Dueling for the moment..." I murmured.

"What do ya mean 'done with Dueling'?" Crow asked.

"Look, who am I kidding? I've got crappy cards! I wouldn't stand a chance against you! I've been lucky enough to beat everyone I've had to Duel against, but now I know that if I had to Duel anyone, I'd probably just lose." The fact of the matter was Explosivo. In spite of my hatred towards him, I knew he was pretty much the only reason I was able to beat anybody. I didn't have a Signer Dragon. Hell, I didn't even have a Synchro Monster. He was my best bet in a Duel, but he was my worst bet outside of one.

"It's not about winning or losing, it's about having fun!" Itsuki protested.

"No one has fun when they lose..." I mumbled. "Look, I'm sorry. I just don't feel like it." I said, looking towards the ocean.

"Alright. We don't have to Duel. How about just a ride around Satellite?" Crow asked.

I nodded. "Okay, just... gimme a second..." I ran back into the room, picking up the pile of clothes before heading out again. "Could we make a stop somewhere and get rid of these?" I asked.

"You wanna get rid of _all_ of that?"

"Well, a lot of what's here I'm not really fond of, and I'm _definitely_ not gonna be wearing the Arcadia stuff ever again."

"M'kay... That's your choice. I know of a good spot." Crow walked over to his Duel Runner, motioning for me to get on mine. I got onto my Duel Runner, laying the clothes across my legs as the kids stepped back.

I took off quicker than I had wanted to, but managed to stay in control of my Runner. I just followed Crow around until we reached a subway station. I looked around and saw two guys who looked to be about sixty warming themselves by sitting near an oil drum which had fire burning vigorously inside it.

"Ya want me to give these clothes to a couple people I know?" Crow asked.

My eyes focused on the oil drum. "Yeah... Everything except this..." I muttered, grabbing the Arcadia stuff as Crow took the rest and headed down into the subway.

I got off my Duel Runner and walked over to the two men. "Uh... hi. Is it alright if I burn this?" I asked them. They shrugged, so I chucked the Arcadia Uniform into the drum and watched it slowly brown and crinkle as the fabric dried out, the fire consuming it completely. I smiled. "Thanks."

I walked back over to my Duel Runner and got on it just as Crow re-emerged from the subway. "Rally and Tank say 'Thank you for the clothes'." Crow could tell by the expression on my face that I had no idea who he was talking about, so he added: "They're friends of Yusei's."

"Oh, okay."

The two of us sat silently on our Duel Runners as Crow kept his eyes on mine. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Thinking..."

"What about?"

I sighed. "I have absolutely no idea..."

"Well ya wanna head back?"

"Yeah, okay..." I murmured. Crow and I took slowly as we headed back to his hideout to meet with the kids.

* * *

"A Rehabilitation Center? Here?" I asked.

"That's what they've been saying..." Crow said nonchalantly.

I paced back and forth once more, trying to understand what exactly was going on. Crow had just received word from Yusei that everything was ready to go ahead in regards to the Daedalus Bridge being built to connect the Satellite to the mainland of New Domino City, under one proviso. The proviso was that at Rehabilitation Center be built in the Satellite to help those who required certain treatment, and the only viable block of land was apparently where Crow's hideout was.

"And that's why you guys are moving?" I asked, turning to the kids.

"That's actually why they're building it. Because we're moving." Crow piped up. "Look, we really only got the gist of what they were saying. So we're not even sure if it's going ahead at all still."

"And what about everyone else who lives here?" I asked.

Crow sighed. "I don't know about that, but Martha's agreed to take care of whoever needs it."

I brought my hands up to my face, wiping my fingers across my eyelids. "Alright then... So... I guess in the morning I... get my stuff and leave then?"

"Well if you're thinking about heading back to the City, you won't be able to go through the Pipeline."

"Huh? Why not?" I asked.

"That thing only shuts down once a month for maintenance. For the rest of the time, it's active. We were lucky enough to get through when we could." Crow explained.

"Well how do I get back to the City then?"

"Head to the... uh... _Slum_ area, keep walking east, and you'll reach the Port. There's a transport ship there, you can take that to get back to the City."

"Why didn't we just take the boat instead of going through the Pipeline?"

Crow sighed, before pointing to his face. "See these marks? It'd be a snowball's chance in Hell for me to get on with these."

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't realize..."

"That's okay..."

I suddenly felt very tired, as if at any moment I would collapse onto the ground. I sighed, sitting down on the bed as kids looked up at me.

"Tired?" Annie asked.

"Yeah..." I muttered.

"Well you've got a big day tomorrow... Why don't we leave you to get some rest? C'mon, kids." Crow ushered Annie and Itsuki out of the room as my eyelids began to droop and I found myself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Sunlight worked its way across the land, covering everything in its warm, soothing glow. As the sunlight gently touched my Duel Runner, I revved it twice, Crow, Annie and Itsuki looking to me.

"Good luck in New Domino, Tyler!" Itsuki cheered.

"Be sure to visit us at Martha's when you have the chance, okay?" Annie smiled.

"If you see Yusei there, say 'hi' to him for me, alright?" Crow nodded.

"Of course. What about Jack?"

"Oh yeah, you can say 'hi' to him too, if you want..." Crow muttered. "You remember where to go, right?"

"Yeah, I know the way..." I closed my eyes, lifting my hands up and running my fingers along my helmet. "Thanks for everything, guys..."

Man... I am _so_ not good with goodbyes...

With that, I brought my hands down onto the handlebars and revved my Duel Runner once more, taking off slower than I could've, before backing up and turning around, heading past several kids who all seemed to either be Dueling or spectating. I made a sharp right turn, travelling forward to see clothes drying outside other run-down buildings. Passing water-damaged crates, I found myself pulling up beside one of the biggest boats I had ever seen. Really it was the _only_ boat I had ever seen.

The dock seemed to be flooded with Sector Security members and, from the looks of their uniforms and yellow hardhats, a couple construction workers. From this I assumed that they had come to take a look around the Satellite to either start on the Daedalus Bridge, or the Rehabilitation Center.

Almost immediately upon noticing me, two Sector Security members walked over to me. "Get off the Duel Runner!" one of them shouted, his facial expression obscured by his helmet.

Apart from Trudge, I had never dealt with Sector Security before, but I knew it was wise for me to do exactly as I was asked. I used the kill switch, slumping off the seat and applying the kick stand.

"Is there a problem, officer?" I asked.

"Is this thing registered?!" the other officer asked. My heart jumped into my throat. I had no idea.

"I... um..." I stuttered, trying to think of what exactly it was that I should say. I couldn't lie and tell them that it was, because they would probably have a way of checking. But I couldn't tell them the truth either. They wouldn't believe it. They'd probably think that I stole it or something.

"What's goin' on here!?" I heard a loud, commanding voice from a little way away. We turned to see Tetsu Trudge walking towards us.

"Officer Trudge!" the two officers shouted, standing up as straight as they could. "Th-this one... he-"

"Don't you know who he is?! He is Tyler Nochi, one of the Duelists who helped defeat the Dark Signers!"

"S-sir?"

"Carry on with your regular duties! We've got work to do people, move!" Trudge shouted as the two officers scampered away. Trudge then walked up to me. "Now what happened here?" he asked softly.

I sighed. "I was... um... hoping I could take the boat back into the City today. I showed up on my Duel Runner and those two..." I paused, pointing in the direction of where those two officers had disappeared off to. "They asked me if my Runner was registered, and I truthfully have no idea. I'm sorry."

Trudge smiled. "Is this your Duel Runner?" he asked, walking over to it. I nodded. "Up until now, most of the Duel Runners that have belonged to Satellite residents have been confiscated. The clothes you've got on now... they don't make you look like someone from New Domino..."

"You mean, they think that I stole this Runner?" I asked. Trudge nodded.

"You don't need to worry though. I'll sort this out for you."

"Thank you so much."

"Not a problem. Just wait here, okay?" Trudge instructed. I nodded as Trudge went back inside the ship, coming out around five minutes later. "Alright. You can get across on that ship." he began, pointing to the hatch of the ship, "but you'll need to remain off your Duel Runner until you reach New Domino. Is that understood?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you." I bowed.

Trudge smiled. "Okay. I'd better go catch up with my team. Best o' luck."

"You too..."

Trudge then made a mad dash out of the Port in order to catch up to the other officers that had since left the area. As for me, I brought my right leg around to support my Runner as I brought it into neutral, wheeling it onto the ship. Once I reached the entrance, I stopped.

I did wonder if this was in fact the right thing for me to do, to leave New Domino for Satellite only to return a day later, especially in light of the revelation that my parents no longer wanted me. And then I thought, why should I let my family define who I am, my happiness, my sadness? They didn't want me, so why should I feel like I need them?

There was still this little something, this little part of me that, in spite of me throwing away almost everything that I could use to identify me with who I was, wanted to cling to some sense of familiarity or... safety or... just... something, anything. I knew I couldn't find it here in the Satellite. I had to go back to New Domino. I had to get back to my real life.

I smiled as sunlight brushed against my face. Shaking my head, I continued wheeling my Duel Runner onto the ship as the door to the cargo hold began to shut behind me.


	21. Another Chance

I must admit, I was a little disoriented arriving at the Daimon Port with nothing but me and my Duel Runner. A couple businessmen were walking around like they had important stuff to do, and there were a few dozen construction workers who were either piling onto the boat, or trying to push past me to get off.

I sighed, bringing my Duel Runner to the side of the hatch, letting everyone breeze past me as I then became mixed in with those who were struggling to cart on crates or unprotected building materials. As an opening revealed itself to me, I wheeled my Duel Runner off the ship and walked it past the fencing.

My attention was drawn to a sign stating '_Duel Runners are not to be ridden in this area_'. I shrugged, wheeling my Duel Runner to the next fence, which automatically opened upon my approach.

I smiled, now unrestricted, getting onto my Duel Runner and bringing it up to a safe and comfortable speed as I explored the town. I had been shown the more upper class parts of New Domino City before, such as the Tops Plaza, the East District... and the Arcadia Movement, but I had never been shown what was in the Daimon Area before. To me, it looked like a sort of middle-class neighborhood: a couple cracks in the sidewalks here and there, one or two abandoned cars, but a perfectly liveable place overall. Maybe after Sector Security were finished fixing up the Daedalus Bridge and the Satellite, they could give this place a little makeover too...

_I had my doubts about you before, but this right here, you're just plain awesome!_

_I'm very pleased that you're feeling alright today, Tyler. I just hope it was nothing too serious._

Two blurred figures caught my attention as I rode passed a garage, causing me to slam on the brakes. I turned to the two individuals, locked in a Duel with each other that seemed to be nearing its end. I wanted to pinch myself, to see if I was dreaming, but I knew I wasn't, and that's what surprised me.

In one move, the tan-skinned boy had ripped through his opponent's defense and managed to knock his Life Points to zero. The opponent, who had messy blond hair, got up off the ground and dusted himself off, before walking over and accepting the handshake of the other boy, both wearing the clothes I had just recently abandoned.

I kicked my Duel Runner into park just as the two boys turned to me.

"Hey, Tyler. Feeling good?" Liquid asked.

I couldn't believe it. He was alive. _They_ were alive. They were standing right in front of me, smiles on their faces, and yet, I had no idea how to react. I shouldn't have been so surprised, especially considering everything else that'd happened, and everything else that I had been a part of, but I was. They didn't seem at all surprised to see me, so maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised to see them.

I pushed all of the confusion out of my head as I answered Liquid's question as best I could. "Umm... f-fine..." I muttered. They didn't have to know about all that had gone on in their absence. After all, that was all in the past.

"That's good to hear. I'm afraid I can't say either of us are doing all that well, though." Okita explained.

"Oh, c'mon! Why do you have to say such depressing things?!" Liquid asserted, turning to him.

"Well, because the Arcadia Movement is ruined, we don't have anywhere to go." Okita explained.

"Hmm... But it all just depends on how you look at it, right?" Liquid smiled.

"I think perhaps we should get straight to the point instead!" Okita shouted, somewhat catching me off-guard. Okita turned to me. "Tyler, we have a favor to ask you."

"Y-yeah?"

"Could you help us find a place to live?" Okita blurted out.

"Whoa! Hey, now! You can't just come straight out with it like that!" Liquid snapped.

"Why ever not? It makes no sense to just beat around the bush!" Okita retorted, focusing his attention on me once more. "We don't know anyone in town, and you're the only one we can rely on, Tyler."

It took me a while for Okita's plea to sort of sink in. But when it did, everything hit me hard. I didn't have a place to live either. I had just come from the Satellite with all of my prior plans thrown astray. The three of us were in the same boat, except that I had my Duel Runner.

"C'mon, Okita! Isn't there a better way to ask that sort of que-"

Okita quickly turned to Liquid. "Quiet, you!" he shouted. Did these two switch bodies while I was gone? "So, you see, for that reason, we'd really like to ask for your help." Okita smiled at me, before turning once again to Liquid. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Shouldn't you be asking, too!?" he hounded.

"Yeah, please...!" Liquid begged after several seconds of silence.

I couldn't just ignore the pleas of my friends. "Alright, just... Just give me a sec. I'll see if I can make some phone calls."

"Yes! Thank you!" Okita shouted, clasping his hands together as I nodded, taking a couple steps back.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found Jack's number. As far as I knew, he was still staying with Mina, so I figured that Mina might've been able to help me out a little.

"Tyler..." Jack groaned. "What's up? Why are you calling so early in the morning?"

I pulled my phone away from my ear to check the time before replying. "It's twenty-six past eleven..." I muttered.

"Why are you calling...?" Jack repeated.

"Well... you're still at Mina's, right? I was wondering if I could talk to her about something real quick."

Jack sighed. "Mina's gone to go get food for her cats... Why do you need to talk to her anyway...?"

"Well... see I've just met up with a couple of friends from the Arcadia Movement, and they don't have a place to live or anything since the Arcadia Movement is... well, destroyed."

"That it?" Jack mumbled. "I'll tell Yusei to give you a call. He'll sort something out. Where are you now?"

"I'm in the Daimon Area. Just came through the Port."

"Alright..." Jack yawned. "You... stay there... I'll give Yusei a call..."

"Thanks, Jack." I smiled.

"Don't mention it..." he mumbled before he hung up.

I turned back to Okita and Liquid. "So what's going on?" Liquid asked.

"We just need to sit tight for a little bit. One of my friends should be coming by soon to help us out."

"Oh?! Really?!" he asked.

"You know, Tyler, you sure are a peach! I can't thank you enough!" Okita shouted.

"You're really helping us out, Tyler! I'll never forget this!"

"Well nothing's set in stone yet." I began. "But if anyone can help us out, it's my friend Yusei."

"So what do we do until he gets here?" Liquid asked.

"Why don't you tell us about _that_?" Okita smirked, pointing at my Duel Runner.

"Hey, yeah. Where'd you get that from?"

"Turns out it was mine." I chuckled.

"Wait but you said you'd never ridden a Duel Runner before!" Liquid shouted.

"Well at that time, I didn't think I ever had."

"What?" Liquid asked.

"Yeah..." I murmured. From the shared expression on Liquid's and Okita's faces, it didn't look like the three of us seemed to be on the same page. "Hold on, just so we're clear, you guys know that I'm an amnesiac, right?"

"What?" Liquid asked.

"He means he suffers from amnesia, you moron!" Okita glared at Liquid, before turning to me with an unmistakably sympathetic look on his face. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Do you know what kind it is? How long have you had it? Is there anything that the two of us can do to help you?"

"Oh. Nah, don't worry about it. I've had it since before I met you guys, so it's a non-issue." I laughed. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. After all, I didn't want them to pity me. I'd had enough of that. Besides, if they wanted to pity me, I'm sure they could find something else about me to pity.

As the sound of a roaring engine drew closer, the three of us turned to the direction of where it seemed to be coming from as I saw Yusei racing through the streets, taking a sharp turn, pulling back and parking near my Duel Runner.

"That was pretty quick. How did you get here so fast?" I asked him as the three of us walked over.

"I was in the area when Jack called. So what's this about needing a place to live?" he asked as Okita stepped forward to act as the group spokesperson.

"Yusei, sir. My name is Okita, and this is Liquid. We need a place to live now that the Arcadia Movement's gone."

"These friends of yours?" Yusei asked, turning to me. I nodded.

"Yep. These guys were brainwashed by Sayer like me, but they can still, you know, remember stuff." I sighed, before laughing a little.

"Well I know just who can help us. Follow me." Yusei motioned, moving forward on his seat. "Liquid, was it? You ever been on a Duel Runner before?"

"Yeah... I'm not very good at riding one though. At least not as good as Tyler."

"That's fine. Just get on." he motioned once more.

"Alright, Okita. You're with me then." I said, getting back onto my Duel Runner and scooching forward on my seat.

"Splendid!" he grinned as he and Liquid got onto mine and Yusei's Duel Runners with a little effort.

"Okay, Tyler. Just follow me. It's not that far." Yusei said as he began to pick up speed. I revved my Duel Runner once as I felt Okita clutch my shoulders tightly.

"Sorry..." I apologized. "I shoulda told you I was gonna do that."

"It's fine... Just a little loud..." he murmured as I looked ahead. I took off at a slow speed behind Yusei, paying close attention to his movements. I followed him left around a corner and up until we reached the site of an apartment complex, where Yusei brought his Duel Runner in through the doors as he jumped off of it. I watched as Liquid got a little fright from this, so I decided to slide my Runner into neutral as I instructed Okita to get off, before I wheeled it in through the doors manually.

"There's parking on the basement level." Yusei explained as he hit a button near the elevator. A light at the top of the elevator doors illuminated right as they opened. "I'll head down first. You three wait here." he instructed, walking into the elevator with his Runner as Liquid got off of it.

"Is he always this serious?" Liquid asked just as the doors closed.

"For the most part... I think. But with Yusei, it pays for him to be serious."

"I must say that, aside from the volume, I really did enjoy that ride, however brief it was." Okita beamed.

"I'm glad." I smiled.

"Oh, hey. Did you hear about Rex Goodwin?" Liquid asked, turning to me. "Apparently something happened to him a few days ago, so they're looking for a new Director."

"Who's 'they'?"

"The New Domino Public Administrations Bureau. I heard they were holding an election soon."

"No they're not!" Okita protested. "They have a Vice-Director specifically to avoid having to do things like that!"

The elevator doors opened and Yusei stepped out. "Take your Duel Runner down to the basement by pressing '1B' on the control panel. There's a ton of free spots down there, so you shouldn't have difficulty finding a place to park. Come back up here when you're done, okay?"

I nodded, wheeling my Duel Runner into the elevator with me. Thankfully, my Runner was able to fit inside the space, and I still had plenty of room to move. I punched in '1B' as the elevator doors closed. I felt my entire position shift as the elevator brought me down to a small room which seemed to branch off into a large concrete parking lot. An automated gate lay far to the left, possibly allowing for an easy exit, which I was all for. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't have to bring my Runner up through the elevator again when I went to leave.

My footsteps echoes as I wheeled my Runner over to a vacant bay, throwing it into park, bringing down the stand, and then disengaging it. I walked back into the small room and into the elevator, hitting 'G' on the control panel as the doors closed. When they opened again, Yusei, Okita and Liquid made their way onto the elevator with me in silence, Yusei pressing '4F' on the control panel.

"Here we are." Yusei said as the elevator doors opened, walking out as Okita, Liquid and I followed Yusei as he took a left, and then another, stopping at a rosewood door with a steel handle. Yusei knocked twice, the three of us waiting until we were eventually greeted by a slightly older man in a white shirt and brown pants.

"Hey, Yusei. What brings you here?" the man asked.

"Blister, this is Tyler, Liquid and Okita." Yusei said.

"So _you're_ the famous Tyler. Yusei's told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you finally." He smiled, extending a hand for me to shake.

"Hi it's... nice to meet you too..." I muttered, accepting his handshake.

"Anyway, Yusei, what's up?" Blister asked.

"I was wondering if you had a spare room where these two could stay." Yusei began.

"Our home was destroyed and we've got nowhere to go!" Okita added.

"I see... A tough break, huh?" Blister murmured. "No, problem, though. There's another room on this floor that's under my name. I'll let them use it."

"Awesome!" Liquid shouted.

"So... could you show us around right away, please?" Okita asked.

"Alright. It's this way." Blister said. Yusei, Liquid, Okita and I followed him as we walked out and past the elevator until we reach another door which had an identical frame to Blister's room. Blister reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, opening the door before giving it to Liquid. "There you go..." he muttered.

Liquid and Okita made their way inside, the joy on their faces undeniable as their smiles practically went from ear to ear. "This is a sweet room! I kinda dig it!" Liquid smiled, slowly observing the room, Okita doing the same before turning back to me.

"Tyler, we can't thank you enough." Okita smiled.

"Please, this was Yusei and Blister's doing." I smiled.

"Maybe so, but none of this would've happened without you." He smiled, taking a card out of his Deck box and handing it to me. "This is a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it."

I looked at the card that Okita had given me and smiled. "Thanks guys..."

Okita nodded, before turning back to Liquid. "Okay. Now that that's taken care of, I think it's time we decide who's the boss of this room, don't you?" he asked.

"Well we'll leave you to it then." Blister smiled, unfazed by the argument that had since broken out between the two boys. "Tyler, I've got something for you as well."

"Huh?"

"Follow me..." Blister murmured as Yusei smiled, the two of them leading me back to Blister's apartment.

"I don't understand..." I muttered.

"This apartment is yours... If you want it..." Blister said casually.

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you serious?!"

Blister nodded. "I've been given an offer by Martha to come and help her manage the orphanage. And trust me, if you've tasted her cooking, you'll know that's an opportunity that I can't pass up."

"I... don't know what to say..." I stammered.

"Yusei told me everything that you've been through. If anyone deserves this apartment it's you. You won't need to pay for utilities or anything like that since the super owes me a huge favor, so if you're worried about that, then don't be."

"Go on, Tyler. It's a very generous offer that Blister's making..." Yusei added.

"If I say yes, you'll give this place to me...?" I muttered.

"I can go and put your name on the lease right now for you if you'd like." Blister smiled.

I was so happy, I couldn't even begin to describe it. For the most part, the past few days had been Hell on Earth for me, what with the Dark Signers, my parents and everything else, and to have been given something like this from somebody I had literally just met all because of Yusei... There was really nothing that I could say or do to show how appreciative I was of such a kind gesture.

"Yes, please..." I said, nearly choking on my answer.

"Alright then. I'll get that sorted for you, and then I'll come back and help you settle in."

* * *

"So..." I began. "Are there any cool places I can go around and check out?"

Blister seemed to think for a moment. "Well there's a card shop, there's an underground Duel arena, there's-"

"How 'bout something that's _not_ related to Duel Monsters?" I asked.

Blister turned away from whatever he was packing and looked straight at me, trying to discern whether or not I was being serious. He sighed. "There's a bar called Bootleg. Right from where you come in from the Port, head past the empty garage and it's on your left. There should be a sign out front, so you'll know if you're in the right place."

"Alright, thanks. I'll go check that out." I smiled.

"Well depending on how long you're there, I might not be here when you get back. I'll lock up when I'm done, but here's a spare key just in case." Blister searched through his pockets, before he pulled out a key and gave it to me.

"My Duel Runner will be safe down in the lot, won't it?"

Blister laughed. "O'course. If you've configured the recognition system correctly, only you'll be able to access it."

"Alright, so I've got nothing to worry about then?" I asked, double-checking just to make sure I understood.

"Nothin' to worry about."

"Awesome! Thank you!" I bowed, putting the key to my new apartment in my pocket as I left the room, closing the door behind me. With a spring in my step, I walked down the hall and to the elevator, making my way to the ground floor in a matter of seconds. With haste, I walked out of the apartment complex, and made a left past the card shop.

I found my way from there back to where I came in from the Port, at that point following Blister's instructions to keep walking until I reached an intersection where, right next to me, there laid a sign which said 'Bootleg' in faded letters. My eyes traveled to a set of wooden doors which seemed to give a little even at the slightest touch.

I shrugged, pushing both doors forward with my hands as I walked in.

The place seemed dark and sinister, the smell of smoke and alcohol almost consuming the place. From where I stood, I could see an old jukebox, along with a glass cabinet which housed several different bottles, cans and glasses.

Aside from two men having a Duel in one of the booths, the place was basically deserted. I took cautious steps walking down the stairs, holding on to the handrail until I reach the bottom. I don't know why, but I really was expecting more from the place. Nevertheless, I walked over and took at seat the bar, where an older gentleman was cleaning a glass behind it.

"Whaddya want? Ya got any ID on ya?" he asked.

I straightened up. "Uh... n-no, sir. I don't."

"Well have ya got any money?"

"Umm..." I paused, searching my pockets and taking out the small amount of money I had. "Not much..."

"Not really enough for anything..." he noted.

"Alright. Is there anything I can get to drink which doesn't cost any money and doesn't require me to have an ID?" I asked.

"Water." The bartender replied as I sighed in response.

"Okay, can I get a glass of water please?" I asked.

"Still or Sparkling?"

I sighed once more. "Still. I dunno."

The bartender nodded, fetching a tall glass and filling it with water from a bottle nearby. He then dropped two ice cubes into the glass and slid it over to me. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the glass into my right hand as I took a sip from it. I closed my eyes, listening to 'Sweet Child O' Mine' playing on the nearby jukebox. I took another sip of my water and looked around. Where do _I_ go now? Now that I thought about it, I realized that I didn't really think that far ahead. I mean, I had an apartment now, and a Duel Runner, but not much else. Now that everything with the Dark Signers was over, I knew that now was the time that I could get my life back on track. I _had_ to get my life back on track.

In the midst of my intense considerations and reflections, I heard someone approaching me from behind. I put my glass down and turned to see who the person behind me was. I was neither prepared for, nor expecting to see this person any time soon. Actually, that was a lie. I was never expecting to see this person again. His eyes met mine, and I was at a complete loss for words.

I struggled to think of what to say, trying desperately to put a sentence together, but I couldn't. All that could escape my lips... was his name.

"Taze..."

* * *

After much consideration, I decided to put a little something at the end of the story (rather than throughout it, as I thought that would disrupt the flow of the story) to properly acknowledge all who helped me out with it. A special shout-out to two very special people: **2dayIsUrDay** and **AnimeAndMangaFan**. Without them, this story would never have been attempted, much less completed, so I owe them a great deal of debt.

Below you'll find a short list of the people who had a hand in making this story what it was, and what stage of story development that was at, with the chapters they had a hand in creating in brackets next to their name.

**Concept**

**2dayIsUrDay** (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12)  
**AnimeAndMangaFan** (8)  
**Eye_Cannot_Fathom** (8)  
**MissyD** (8, 18)**  
MysticTyler** (4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)  
**Tole** (8)

**Drafting**

**2dayIsUrDay** (all)  
**AnimeAndMangaFan** (8, 11, 18, 19)  
**MysticTyler** (all)

**Writing**

**2dayIsUrDay** (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17)  
**AnimeAndMangaFan** (8, 11, 18, 19)  
**MysticTyler** (all)

Finally, a special thank you to all the readers. I hope you enjoyed reading the story just as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
